


philia

by azel (abstracs)



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: F/M, How Do I Tag, Italian Mafia, Not Canon Compliant, Reader-Insert, info broker reader, tsuna baby i'll make your life easier, vongola
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:46:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26310595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abstracs/pseuds/azel
Summary: (Katekyo Hitman Reborn)|| Reader-Insert, Non-Canon Compliant ||- in which an aspiring info broker is tasked with tailing the head of CEDEF and discovers one of the Vongola's best kept secrets, one Sawada Tsunayoshi.
Comments: 12
Kudos: 33





	1. land of the rising sun (in our case, sky)

**[3:27 A.M, Japan]**

**(Y/N)**

There you were, in all your six-year-old glory. Dressed in a nondescript hoodie, cargo shorts, with a worn baseball hat fastened snugly on your head and armed with a net, you looked like any other kid going out to catch bugs in the summer. Except, it was October, there were no bugs, and you were in an airport all by your lonesome in the wee hours of the day. Of course that would be seen as a cause of concern for responsible adults. A few nice ladies had come up to you, asking if you needed help. You didn’t understand what they were saying but luckily, you were prepared. Whipping out a piece of paper, you would hand it over for them to read. You didn’t know what it said but brother had told you it would help you blend in and you trusted him. The nice ladies would always leave with strange looks on their faces after that, some giving you treats and staying to chat a bit (you would simply stare and nod) before they ultimately had to leave. 

You stood with your trusty net, waiting for your next orders. Brother said he’d contact you for the next steps when you landed, but it’s been about an hour with no contact. He was usually punctual when it came to you. Maybe he fell in a ditch somewhere, or got hit by a vending machine. What if he ran into one of his many enemies? What if he ate bad sushi and was indisposed? As you were wondering what held him up, an obnoxious ring sounded from one of your many pockets. Pulling it out, you answered without looking at the caller. There was only one person who had your number anyways. Before you could say a word, he spoke, then promptly ended the call. Blinking a couple of times to recover from the shock of being rudely hanged up on, you mulled over the words. 

**_“The target is in Namimori, you have maybe until tomorrow to get what you need.”_ **

‘ _Namimori... I hope they have good food.’_ With a set destination now in mind, you made your way outside and headed off, 

**[7:18 A.M, Namimori]**

It took you about four hours to find your way to Namimori. After you had exited the airport, you headed to a cab, saying your destination and nothing more when you climbed on. The driver, half asleep in the front, took your money without question despite being a child. Now that you think about it, that wasn’t very safe. Do people in Japan usually let children wander around taking cabs without adult supervision? Oh well, at least it made things easier for you. That would have been the end of it, except it seemed that your accent was terrible and the driver left you in front of a laundromat. Before you had a chance to say anything, he sped off and you were left stranded. 

Armed with a net, some snacks the nice airport people gave you, in a foreign country with no knowledge of the language (save for a few words you picked up from Brother), you began to walk. Just standing there wouldn’t get anything done, and it’s not as you had much to lose. Brother did say you had until tomorrow… With that in mind, you began searching for food. You hadn’t eaten on the plane since you didn’t trust the suspiciously smiling flight attendants. No one had the right to be that happy on a 14 hour flight. You had snacks but you wanted to save them for the potential stakeout. Money wasn’t a problem, you had been given enough to survive on. What was a problem was the fact that there were no restaurants open at 4 a.m. 

Just when you were about to break into a corner store (konbini, you think you remember your brother calling them), an old man walked out of a ramen shop next door. You froze, net back in a swinging position, and stared. _Maybe if you didn't breathe, he wouldn’t notice you._ As soon as that thought crossed your mind, your stomach let it’s hunger known through a ridiculously loud growl. Next thing you know you were seated on a stool in front of a bowl of ramen, awkwardly holding chopsticks. The old man either didn’t notice your dilemma or didn’t care, as he motioned you to hurry up and eat. Not wanting to waste any more time, you did your best and slurped it down, the old man nodding, satisfied. He didn’t bother striking up a conversation, as you had made it obvious you didn’t understand a word he was saying when he first dragged you into the shop. 

When you were finished, the old man was busy prepping in the kitchen. Hesitantly, you walked around the counter and handed him some bills. You didn’t understand how the currency in Japan worked so you just grabbed a random amount and hoped it was enough. The old man looked confused and tried to return the money but you didn’t allow it. After all, Brother said that some humans would kill for money, and you didn’t want the old man to resort to murder. Thinking quickly, you asked the man for directions, in an attempt to distract him from the money. Well, if saying “Namimori” could be counted as a question. Luckily the old man had understood and you found yourself seated on a delivery truck within the next hour, en route to Namimori. Apparently the truck had a fresh shipment of fish that needed to be delivered to some shops there. How lucky. 

You decided to show your gratitude by helping the delivery guy deliver his fish. Brother always said to help humans, though he himself didn’t do it without a price. At the last stop, which seemed to be a sushi shop, you said your goodbyes and wandered off. Now it was time for you to do what you came to do in the first place. 

**Your mission: Locate and follow the Young Lion of the Vongola.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo KHR fic in the works. A couple of things,,..
> 
> While this IS a Reader-Insert I'm going to focus more on platonic relationships rather than romance, at least for the most part. There will be some, a bit, and feel free to interpret things however you want but since the KHR world is set mostly in middle school, I want them to enjoy their childhood first. Again, yes there will be romance but that's in the future (about ten years if you catch my drift). 
> 
> This is Non-Canon Compliant meaning events in canon will be altered in varying degrees. It won't exactly follow the story line but I won't deviate that much. Maybe. This is because I believe that adding a character (you) would change certain outcomes, mess thing up a bit, the whole butterfly effect deal. That and honestly I'm pretty lazy so going back and forth trying to get exact dialogue sounds exhausting. 
> 
> Having said that, I will be using quite a bit of headcanons because while I love KHR, there's some parts that feel lacking. Again, artistic liberties. Plus doing it this way means I can write more, yay! If there's a headcanon you'd like to see, just go wild and tell me so I can try. 
> 
> that's it! Sorry it's quite a bit but I just needed to put it out there. Thanks for reading <3


	2. who even are these people

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, you found him. You also found something else too.

**[9:27 A.M , Namimori]**

_( **Y/N)**_

You would think that the life of a mafia advisor, an advisor to _the biggest and strongest_ mafia to be exact, to be filled with excitement and gore. Spoiler alert: it was not. You had been following the CEDEF head for quite some time and all you’ve seen him do was make a fool of himself. 

When the head of Vongola's External Advisors was rumored to leave Italy for a while, no one really cared. Everyone knew better than to try to involve themselves in Vongola business, fulfilling their curiosity wasn't worth the risk of receiving the Vongola's ire. So when the CEDEF head left for Italy the next week, that was that. Or at least, it was supposed to be. Brother had received a tip (more like he got it himself) that Vongola Nono himself would be joining the Young Lion for this trip and had pretty much ordered you to go after them. 

They had stood in front of some civilian house. You were watching from across the street, situated in the branches of a conveniently placed tree. From there, you had a view of the house entrance as well as the yard. When the door opened, you were expecting suits and ties, maybe some guns for extra flair. Instead, they were greeted with a short, cheery looking woman who immediately latched on to the blond advisor, as if he wasn’t one of the most dangerous men in the underworld. Confused, you continued to observe as you had been told. Surely all would make sense later.

It was later and it still didn’t make sense. It just got more and more strange. You didn’t realize it back then, as you were too busy focused on staying hidden a safe distance away, but now that they finally stopped, you saw it. The horrible tropical shirt Vongola Nono donned and the ridiculous miners outfit the Young Lion had on (there was even a pickaxe!), it was certainly something. You were disappointed with yourself for not noticing earlier. As you were bashing yourself over your incompetence, you didn’t realize that your targets had moved.

When they had gone inside you had panicked a bit, as the curtains were closed and you didn’t have a view inside. If you wanted to observe, you had to take drastic measures. In other words, you were mentally preparing to scale the wall and find a way inside. Luckily, when you finally gathered the courage to commit a criminal act, the patio door slid open and out came the advisor and advisee. The advisor was carrying what seemed to be a child? It was small and fluffy, and looked really _soft_. 

It was weird enough for the Vongola, _the boss_ nonetheless, to make visits to civilians. But what was happening then was even more strange. You watched as the child stood in front of Nono, staring at the flame that suddenly appeared on the tip of Nono's finger with unbridled curiosity. He didn't even shy away as the flame came closer to his face. In fact, as if some instinctual response to the flame, right on his forehead, soft orange flames of his own came to life. You didn't know what flames were doing sprouting out of fingers. Maybe it was an old people thing. But that wouldn't explain why the kid had some too. It was weird. You didn’t understand and you didn't like it when you didn’t understand. You figured that Brother would know, you’d have to ask him about it when you returned. For now, you were to observe. And observed you did. 

After Vongola Nono poked the kids flaming forehead with his own flaming finger, the kids flame went away, and they went back inside. Now that you had seen the child, you could pretty much guess the reason for their visit. The Young Lion was just checking up on his family. Why Vongola Nono had to be there was probably related to the magical finger-forehead-flames. You decided to wait on your perch, snacking on some cookies you had on you from the airport. Your snack supply was running low, you would have to restock before you went back to Italy. 

\------------

You woke with a jolt that sent you falling straight down. _‘Roll with the fall’,_ Brother's voice echoed in your mind. It was fortunate that you had remembered this piece of advice seconds before you hit the ground or else it would have been really bad. Nothing you couldn’t handle but you didn’t exactly like pain. It seemed that only an hour had passed since your impromptu nap but that was an hour the Vongola had on you. Rushing to find your net as well as your cap that fell in a bush, you raced over to the house that once held arguably the two most influential people of the underworld. All your hope was riding on the slim chance that the External Advisor would stay longer with his family but if there’s anything to know about the Vongola, it's that they work fast. 

Vaulting over the fence with only some difficulty, you quickly ran over to the front door, then stopped. What were you thinking, about to knock as if that would work. No, you needed to think creatively, outside the box. Survey your surroundings, look for things that could get you inside. The tree? No, it’s too small. Maybe in a couple of years but you didn’t have the luxury of waiting. As you were thinking of all the ways you could try (and fail) to get inside, the front door opened and out stepped the presumed wife of the CEDEF head. 

_“A child? Oh, are you here for Tsuna? Sorry, he’s with his dad at the park! I was just heading out to buy something for dinner, would you like to come?”_

You had understood absolutely nothing that came out of the woman’s mouth, save for a few words. ‘ _Tuna? You mean like, the fish?’_ What you did understand was what the pickaxe resting on the wall meant. _‘The Vongola are still here. That’s good, I would have been in trouble if they weren’t.’_ The woman was still talking so you absentmindedly nodded along to what she was saying. It’s not like she would kidnap you or something, she looked too nice for something like that. Or that’s what you thought. Looks can be deceiving. As you nodded, the woman beamed and took you by the hand, dragging you off. _‘Oh I’m being kidnapped after all. Sorry Brother, I should have known better.’_

After some time of browsing the shops with Nana (she had introduced herself sometime along the way) and replenishing your snack stash, you decided that you had to leave. Nana was nice and all but she was married to the Young Lion of the Vongola. Who knows, maybe she’s secretly the world’s greatest hitman. Oh wait, no, that title belongs to someone named Reborn. Maybe an assassin then? Anything is possible in the mafia. With that decided, you mentally said your goodbyes and slipped away in the busy shopping district, never to see Nana again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't I just publish a chapter? Yes, but I have no chill when it comes to KHR so- I was supposed to introduce Tsuna but my fingers go brrr and here we are. As for dialogue? Sorry MC needs at least one mastery point in Japanese in order to engage in conversations. She'll get them soon though! Thanks for reading it, I'm trying to work hard for my fellow KHR lovers. Y'all have been starved for too long, I hope I can feed you well.


	3. i don't need friends they disappoint me (that's a lie)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's like you're trying to get yourself killed. No on purpose though.

_**(Y/N)** _

If there was one thing to know about you, it would be that you were a very convincing liar. You kind of had to be, if you wanted to survive. You were an incredible liar. So convincing in fact, that even you fall victim to your lies sometimes. This was one such time. You had sworn that you would never once again cross paths with Nana, so how did you end up like this? Currently seated at the kitchen table of the Young Lion of the Vongola’s house, about to be fed a meal made by his wife. You were so certain that you’d never have anything to do with this family, so careful to not cross the Vongola, so how? How were you here? As you were deep in thought, your stomach made sure to remind everyone just how hungry you were. _Ah yes, that’s how. I forgot to eat lunch._

**[11:58 A.M, Namimori Shopping District]**

When you had ran away from Nana, you had made sure to avoid any areas you thought the Vongola would be. You also had to be careful not to run into Nana again, lest you be dragged against your will. With these precautions in mind, you wandered around the quaint little town in search for souvenirs. This was your first time in Japan and you wanted to get something for Brother to remind him of his home country. Of course, and also something for yourself. You can’t really blame you, everything was so cool and new and exciting. 

_‘What would Brother like… maybe a chess set? There’s a certain Japanese one right? He burned his last one when he got too excited… okay that’s it! I’ll buy him an authentic Japanese chess game.’_ Those were your guiding thoughts about two hours ago. You had been to countless shops but none of them had what you wanted. And if they did, the quality wouldn’t survive Brother’s eccentric behavior. _‘One more shop,’_ you told yourself. _‘One more and then I’ll stop looking.’_

Wanting to get your self-imposed mission over with, you entered a shop at random. It’s not like you could read the signs even if you wanted to, unfortunately. The shop you entered was pretty empty, with a few shelves lined up on the walls and what seemed to be a small area for taking visitors. As you took a look around, you noticed how this didn't seem to be much of a shop at all. Sighing, you turned back to the front door, ready to call it quits, when something on the shelves caught your eye. It was a set of those Japanese chess games! You quickly walked over and picked it up. The board was nice and solid, the pieces were well kept and seemed it would hold up well. As you continued your examination, a loud slurping sound met your ears and caused you to almost drop the board in shock. 

Luckily you managed to get a hold of it before anything disastrous could happen. Man, you were really slipping up a lot these days. First you get lost, then you fail to notice the Vongola’s terrifying fashion statements,then you fall out of a tree, _then_ you get kidnapped, and now you allow some noodle-slurper to sneak up on you? What’s next, you’d be forced to dinner with people that could end your whole career? 

_‘Be nice, you want this chess game and noodle-slurper can give it to you.’_ Fixing a smile on your face, you turn around ready to bargain for the chess set with your almost non-existent language skills. Before you could get a word out, the man (only a man would slurp noodles so offensively like that) turned and waved towards the table, disappearing past a doorway leading further into the building. Deciding you didn’t have much to lose, you went to the table and sat, making sure to take the chess game with you. After a few minutes of you just appreciating your surroundings _‘There’s only one exit and that’s if I don’t count the windows. The path to it is blocked, that’s not good-’_ the man reappeared, noodles nowhere to be found. In his hands he held a tea set. He poured two cups from the same kettle and handed one to you. You took it to be polite but you wouldn’t be caught dead drinking mysterious drinks from mysterious strangers. 

As if sensing your distrust, the man took a sip from his own cup, pointedly staring. You lifted your own cup in return but you didn’t allow the liquid to touch your lips. Nodding, the man disappeared once again, this time coming back with cookies, placing them down in the middle of the table before sitting down across from you. It was then that you realized this man was dangerous. With his white hair, pale skin, round glasses and plain green kimono, he looked ordinary. But you knew better. He tempted you with cookies and you were nothing if not constantly hungry but you must resist. Resist the temptation… As you sat glaring at the cookies you failed to realize the man attempted to get your attention. That is, until he cleared his throat. 

Still annoyed at the lack of edible food, (you knew those cookies were laced, no one was _that_ nice. You could only trust packaged food.) you shifted your glare to the man until you remembered what you were there for. Opening your mouth and getting your hands ready for an exciting game of charades, you were once again cut off by the man in green. He said something but you didn’t understand. It was your turn to cut him off. 

_“Sir, I don’t understand anything you’re saying. Please let me have this board game.”_ Gesturing to the box in your hands, you got ready to make a break for it, prepping the bills to throw at his face and run. To your surprise, instead of staring dumbly at you, the man responded in a language you actually understood. And that instantly made you ten times more suspicious. No good Japanese man knew Italian well enough to speak it, and certainly not as fluently as he did. Narrowing your eyes, your body became alert at the perceived threat. Not wanting him to know of your wariness (though you suspected he already knew, judging by that smile of his), you engaged in polite conversation. 

_“You can have the board game, for a price.”_

_“It wasn’t like I was planning on stealing it sir. Of course I’ll pay you, How much do you want for it old man?”_

_“I don’t want money, I just want some company. I get lonely sometimes, you see. How bout it? Willing to spend time with this old man?”_

Truth be told, no, you didn’t want to spend time with him. His vibes were off, something about him seemed weird, he felt _different_ . But you did want the board game and you’d do anything for Brother ( _he wouldn’t do the same for you_ , a voice whispered. You ignored it. You always did.) So despite all your instincts telling you to _run, get away, he's a danger,_ you stayed. You stayed for about an hour before telling him that your parents would worry if you were out any longer. He smiled, nodded, allowed you to leave with the chess set.

You were a convincing liar. But you knew that he wasn’t convinced. 

_“Goodbye (Y/N)! I’ll see you soon!”_

You didn’t say goodbye back, practically sprinting out the store. It was after you had recovered from your confusion that came from meeting the man that you noticed three things. One, he never told you his name. Two, was that the reason he felt _off_ was because he didn’t feel like anything at all. And three, you had never told him your name.

**[3:18 P.M. Namimori Residential Area]**

After that unsettling encounter, you opted to go back to your mission. Focusing on the ever looming threat of death that came with uncovering more Vongola secrets served as a good distraction. That was the plan, until you realized how lost you were. In your defense, all the houses look vaguely the same, same structure and same types of trees. Once again you were tired, hungry, and lost. That seemed to be a recurring theme this mission, hopefully you can get rid of it later. At least you still had your trusty net with you. As you wandered around the town in hopes of finding a familiar landmark, you stumbled upon a playground. A wonderful playground, with swings, jungle gyms, monkey bars, but most importantly, _a lot of trees_ . After all that happened, you deserve a break. _It was bug catching time._

You’ve been chasing bugs for quite some time, having to let the go as soon as you caught them, since you didn’t have a container to put them in. No worries, you enjoyed the chase far more than the prize anyways. The sky was beginning to turn varying shades of blue and gold, signifying that your playtime soon had to come to an end. You estimated that you would have a good hour or so before the sun fully sets, meaning you have to go back to tailing the Vongola. In your honest opinion, that could wait. Right now, you were busy chasing the biggest spider you had ever laid eyes on. All your stealth had to go into this, you couldn’t afford any distractions. It had escaped you once but it wouldn’t be so lucky the next time.

Crouched low to the ground, you creeped around agonizingly slow. You steadied your breathing, and kept your eyes peeled for even the slightest movement. One step, two, one more, there! _‘You’re mine now, spider.’_ A bush to your left rustled and you _pounced_ , swinging your net with such force that you heard an audible _crack_. A crack that was soon followed by a pain yelp and the small figure of a child tumbling down. Gasping, you released your hold on the net and rushed over to the crying boy, apologies flying out of your mouth as you moved to sit him up. 

It took awhile but the boy finally stopped crying, removing his hands that were rubbing away his tears from his face. Now that you were no longer panicking yourself, you took the time to observe the painfully familiar boy. _‘Brown fluffy hair, wide, teary brown eyes with, was that orange? a hint of orange… this was!’_ It was the Young Lion’s kid. You had hit the head of the Vongola’s External Advisors _kid_ so hard that your net _broke._ Oh _shit_ (Brother said not to use that word unless the circumstances were really bad, you think this counted as _really bad_ ) _you were going to die._

…

Luckily for you, there were no witnesses, and if you _really_ needed to you can always ensure that the victim _won’t_ _squeal._ That train of thought was instantly shot three times in the chest, forced to bite the curb, and kicked in the back of the head as soon as you looked into the Tiny Lion’s big, watery eyes. They looked so innocent, so _pure_. And the way he was curled up made him look so _small._ He had stretched out his hand, and spoke. When you made it clear that you didn’t understand what he was saying, the Tiny Lion resorted to gestures. Waving his hands between the two of you, he smiled,clasped his hands together and shook them once, twice, before reaching to take your hand in his. This, you understood. He wanted to be friends. 

You never had any before. Your life didn’t allow for things like “friendship”. The way of the streets meant every man for himself and trust was just a tool to be used. You never had a friend, but that didn’t mean you didn’t want one. You smiled at him in return and just as you opened your mouth to affirm your desire to be friends, your stomach spoke for you. Oh yeah, you forgot to eat lunch. One thing led to another and soon enough the Tiny Lion (you didn’t know how to ask for his name, you were sure you’d get it eventually.) was off dragging you behind him someplace unknown to you. _‘Like mother like son, I suppose’._

**[6:02 P.M, CEDEF-head’s Kitchen] [a.k.a Sawada Residence but y/n doesn't know that]**

As soon as his house came in-sight, you struggled to pull away. You were not, under any circumstances, going into a Vongola base, no matter how small or not-a-base it was. You lied to yourself once again, because when the soft, fluffy boy turned his big brown eyes and pouty lips towards you when you resisted, you gave up. Resistance was futile in face of the Tiny Lion’s puppy-eyes (how _ironic_ ) and it seemed he knew it too. Gone was the near-crying expression, replaced by a triumphant grin within seconds.

You’ve just been played. There’s no going back now. When you were finally in the house you didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed. Gone was the pickaxe, which meant that gone was probably the Vongola. That meant that gone was also your way back to Italy. The plan was to tail them back to an airport and get a plane ticket back home, since you didn’t trust yourself to go alone. It seems that you're stuck here until you can find a way back. 

Oh well, at least there’s food. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kawahira what are you doing here? you're not supposed to be here, no you weren't part of the story for another ~20 chapters what are you doingggg,. I never meant for him to appear. Mc was just to be strolling around some shops and waste time but brain said "shop=kawahira" and at first I was like wtf no but. brain won. please stop working on khr fic it's been one day and you have three chapters stop please work on the saiki one no stop (me @ me) anyways, next chap is up to brain, thanks for reading <3


	4. it was fun while it lasted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you knew you made the right choice in staying. your stomach was full and maybe your heart was beginning to be, too.

**[Two-months later, Sawada Residence]**

It’s been quite some time since you decided to stay a bit longer. Nana surprisingly, (or not really, considering her nature), was all too happy to let her “ _precious Tsu-kun’s friend_ ” stay for an indefinite amount of time. Or at least that’s what you guessed since, instead of kicking you out, she let you use an empty room, and even fed you a nice three meals a day, plus snacks. Granted, that was all at the price of dressing you up in random “cute” outfits. Nana always wanted a girl, and you were the closest thing she would have. Why wouldn’t she fulfill her desire to make cute things for her new personal doll. 

(You had tried to hide the first couple of times. It didn’t work. You then resorted to straight up running away in hopes that you could get far enough. That didn’t work either. So when Nana had you in her grasp, you would look pleadingly to your new (best, and first) friend, Tsu-kun. He would take a quick look at you in one hand, the atrocious outfit in the other and wisely turn away. He had betrayed you. Left you to face the wrath of _his_ mother alone. And they wonder why you have trust issues. This is why. 

_“But you like dressing up now!”_

Shut it Tsu-kun, that’s besides the point. Admittedly yes, you did begin to enjoy dressing in various costumes. You even asked Nana to make custom ones at one point. That still didn’t make his betrayal hurt any less though. You had eventually gotten your revenge by roping Tsu-kun into dressing up with you. If you were going down, he would go down with you. Nana now had an entire photo album dedicated to you two in outlandish costumes.That was the only blackmail of you to ever exist.) 

In the beginning, you were just going to stay about a week in order to give brother time to find you and get you out. You received a letter on the third day of your stay containing a passport (fake, of course), a small wad of cash, and a plane ticket. The cash, the letter had said, was for Nana, as both an apology and thanks for taking care of you. Brother knew how much you liked to eat, he probably thought you raided the fridge every night. You would never do such a thing to a family as nice as them. 

You could have left then. Could’ve packed your bag and left after giving a nice good-bye to your unwitting hosts (you did have manners after all.) So why didn’t you? Well, that answer came in the form of a small, fluffy child that loved hamburger steak. You had taken to staying home and helping Nana around the house while Tsu-kun was at school. A lot of your time was spent learning the art of cooking (all information is good information, brother had said when you caught him reading manga instead of reading the pile of job requests for you guys to complete.) If you weren’t learning how to cook, you would do chores for Nana and if you were done with those, Nana would take the time to try to teach you Japanese. You were proud to say that you could now speak and understand common phrases without much trouble. Writing, on the other hand… Your excuse was that those letters were not _your_ letters. 

Since you were at (your temporary) home most of the time, it’s safe to say that you were there when Nana returned from picking Tsu-kun up from school. The blinding smile that graced his face when he saw you, the way he rushed up to greet you with a hug, the way he excitedly started chattering on about his day to you, all of that made it hard to want to leave. Tsu-kun just felt so _warm_ , so _welcoming_ that you didn’t want to leave. If felt like some invisible string kept you from straying to far. So, you stayed. _‘Just a little bit longer,’_ you would tell yourself, _‘One more day and then I’ll go.’_ You always were a convincing liar. 

So, there you were, days and weeks after you said you’d leave. When Tsu-kun wasn’t at school, you would both play together after breakfast, running around as kids do. Of course, just running wouldn’t be fun so you also taught Tsu-kun how to climb. First you started easy, coaching him on the best types of trees to climb, which branches would be enough to hold his weight, how to fall correctly if he had to, all that fun stuff. He was pretty reluctant at first but he didn’t have much of a choice. 

One day when you were in the park, you picked Tsu-kun up (he was really small for his age) and scaled the nearest tree. You then left him up there by himself and began telling him how to climb down. You weren’t trying to be mean or anything, you just really wanted Tsu-kun to learn how to climb so you could go on more adventures together. Unfortunately he didn’t think the same so when he finally made it down, he ignored any and all attempts of playing. You were pretty confused, you didn’t do anything wrong, why was he ignoring you? He should be thanking you for the formative experience. _He must be sick,_ you thought. Of course, that had to be it. With that in mind you made your way back home, dragging your best friend off to be nursed back to health. 

If he was confused when you threw him in his bed and wrapped him up burrito-style, he didn't say anything. He was still mad from that stunt you pulled earlier. But when you came back to his room, struggling to carry a bowl of soup and a pitcher of water, he decided that he wasn’t that mad anymore. How could he be, when he saw you trying your best to cure him from his (nonexistent) sickness. You only had his best interest at heart. So, he let you fuss over him that day, resolving to try and climb a tree, if only to make you happy.

Once Tsu-kun finally managed to master climbing to a level that satisfied you (if he had known that you had ridiculously high expectations, he would have never agreed), you both continued playing as kids do, now with the addition of occasionally climbing to unsafe heights. When lunch approached, you would excuse yourself from playing and head down to the kitchen to help Nana. For a while it was just you and her, whipping up meals in the kitchen that could satisfy all your nutritional needs. It seemed that Tsu-kun got lonely though, and he joined you in the kitchen, helping to wash the rice or set the table, easy things like that. Henceforth, the daily routine of cooking together became a thing, much to Nana's delight.

When you weren’t cooking or playing, you would be trying to help Tsu-kun with homework. This had started when you walked into his room one day to ask if he wanted a snack, only to find him crying. (Years later, Tsu-kun would fondly recount this story and tell everyone that it was one of the only times he saw you panic to the point where you had started crying yourself. You would tell them that it was lies and slander. You do not panic, nor do you cry. Of course, they didn’t believe you over your beloved Sky.) 

It turns out Tsu-kun was so frustrated with his work and he didn’t understand. That was strange, considering he was always curious and loved to learn, or at least that was the case when you first started living there. Pushing that thought aside, you began doing your best to help. Sadly you could only help with math, since everything else required you to know that _mind-numbing alphabet_. 

That was your life in Namimori. Helping your best friend and his mother, living with them, just enjoying a normal civilian life. Unfortunately, you knew that it wouldn’t, that it _couldn’t_ last long. You had a job to do, a career to launch. No one became a successful info broker just by lazing around in a peaceful city. Exactly two months after you landed in Japan, you had received a call from brother, telling you to come back. 

_“I know you found some new favorite humans, you can play with them again another time. Come home, yeah?”_

You knew it was coming so you weren’t really bothered. The problem lied in the fact that on the night before your departure, Tsu-kun had fallen extremely ill. Nana said it was just a fever caused by the change in temperature outside (it _was_ winter) but it didn’t feel like a regular fever. For starters, he was burning up and nothing seemed to be helping. He kept crying about a headache, kept saying how he didn’t feel right, like something was missing, and he kept dry heaving. You didn’t want to leave him like this and when you were about to call brother to tell him you would be late, Nana had told you to go. 

“You’ve been away from home for too long. I’ll take care of Tsu-kun, you go back to your family. Don’t forget to visit!” She didn’t want you to leave, not really. You had completed their family, given Tsuna someone to look up to, you had become such a big part of their lives that it was painful, letting you go. But as a mother, Nana knew that you had to go back to where you came. She could only hope you would drop by again. 

Never being able to tell Nana no, you reluctantly stepped into the taxi she called for you. Of course, not before saying goodbye to your best friend one last time. 

“Are you sure you can’t stay for Christmas?” That’s right, Christmas was only a week away. You would have to remember to send him and Nana a gift. This timing actually worked out pretty well, sans the whole "leaving-your-best-friend-suffering-from-some-sickness" thing. The Young Lion of the Vongola would undoubtedly come to visit his family on such a holiday, you would be safer being away from them by them. You wouldn’t mind staying. But you had to go back to Italy.

“I’ll come back uh, to see you soon.” 

“Promise?”

“... I’ll do my best.” 

  
That was as much as you could give him. You weren’t dumb, you knew there was always that possibility someone would find out your connection with brother and that someone might be one of your brother’s many enemies. You couldn’t make a promise you couldn’t keep, it wouldn’t be fair. When Tsu-kun tried getting out of bed to see you off, you forcefully pushed him back. He felt too frail, smaller than usual, _cold_. You didn’t want to risk it. With one last smile and wave goodbye, you finally said your goodbyes to the place that housed you for the past two months.

**[2:07 A.M, Palermo Airport, Italy]**

“It’s been so long, sister dearest! Why, I was getting worried that you were planning on ditching your poor big brother all alone.”

There he was, dressed in all black, a stark contrast to the bright floors of the airport. You were surprised that he came to pick you up himself, he was probably running from problems he created. Walking to him, you fell in step beside your brother as he began prattling on about what you had missed when you took your impromptu vacation. “Can you believe they had the audacity to blame me? They said I set them up, I would never. In fact-” You simply nodded along as he spoke with exaggerated hand gestures, brother always had a flair for the dramatic.

You had made it outside, but not before stopping at one of the airport shops for some snacks. Brother had complained about them being overpriced but that didn’t stop him from buying them. Speaking of buying things… 

“So little sister, did you bring back anything for me?” 

Ah, so that’s what’s been bothering you. You knew something was wrong. And after all the trouble you went for it too. What a shame.

“Sorry brother, I left it back in Japan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is- a necessary chapter in establishing baby tsuna and baby mc childhood or so I keep telling myself. Honestly though, I was having trouble with it. braincells kept giving me ideas for first meetings and other future tings, literally anything besides what I needed smh. I pulled through though! gotta do it for my childhood faves. it's gon be a while before we get to "canon" so i hope y'all are ready to wait. Thanks for readin <3 As always, sorry for any mistakes, have a nice day~


	5. the ghost of my friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> backstory pt.1: unlocked

**[One year later]**

**[12:02 A.M, Palermo, Italy]**

Walking through the halls of your shared apartment in the dead of night wasn’t anything new. Some nights you would wake from your restless sleep and find comfort in a small midnight snack. This was one of those nights. As you made your way to the kitchen, you noticed the light in brother's room. That wasn’t new either, his sleeping schedule was a mystery even to you. What was concerning was the slightly insane laughter you heard behind the door. You weren’t one for invading privacy- that’s a lie, doing so is pretty much your job. 

And since it’s your way of life what are you to do except invade his privacy? Getting closer to the door, you listened closely for any diabolical plans brother may be cooking up. What you heard however, kind of disappointed you.

“Information on the second son? Wasn’t the first enough?” Brother was just talking business again. Honestly, you got your hopes up. Well if that was all, then you didn’t see the point in staying there. If you had stayed just a little longer though, you would have learned something crucial. 

“Massimo Ranieri, second son of Vongola Nono, can’t swim. Thank you for your business~”

**[3:29 A.M, ???]**

Sitting in the back of a van wasn’t what you’d call fun but then again, you weren’t calling the shots. Brother was napping in the front, leaving all the dirty work to you. “I already drove,” he said, “it’ll be a learning experience”, he said. If it weren’t for the fact that after his phone call, he dragged you out before you got a chance to eat your snack, you wouldn’t have minded. Right now though, you were hungry and, well, you’re not you when you’re hungry. 

Sighing, you turned to fiddle with the antenna, trying to position it in a way where you’ll get more than just static. Spinning, stretching, jumping, nothing seemed to get you on the right wavelength. After a couple more seconds, you decided a break was in order. As you went to place the antenna down, it slipped from your hands and you scrambled to get a hold of it, knowing that there was a high possibility of it breaking, as fragile as it was.

If it broke… Brother would surely deduct money from your share to pay for a new one and deducted pay meant less money for food which meant less food and less food meant starving and you didn’t want to starve, not again, and if you didn’t want that to happen then, by any means necessary, you needed to save that antenna. 

Throwing yourself on the floor of the van, you managed to catch it in the nick of time, holding it high above your lying form. Readying yourself to stand, you heard noise coming from the headset you had. 

_ “-oss died, -” _

_ “Child prodigy... sword fight- ” _

If you had known this would have worked, you would have dropped the antenna ages ago. Now you’re stuck looking like an upside down turtle. Your abdominal muscles felt like they were burning and your arms shook, disrupting the connection at times, but now wasn’t the time for weakness. Now was the time to uncover family secrets. (You made a mental note to start working out though, climbing trees and buildings could only do so much.)

_ “What about the Varia? I heard- ”  _

_ “It’s the kid’s now.” _

_ “Heard that he passed down the position to-” _

“Are you having fun?” Engrossed in the conversation happening over the headset, you didn’t notice when brother woke. So, understandably, you were startled when he spoke. Concentration lost, your aching muscles took that split second moment of distraction to give up on you. Sprawled on the floor, you looked up and scowled at the grinning figure that stood above you. 

“I’m sorry-” no he wasn’t, “I just wanted to check up on you.” Lies, he just wanted to see you make a fool of yourself and that you did. You’d get back at him one day, just not today. You were still on a mission after all, and unlike brother dearest you had the decency to be semi-professional. So for now, you’ll just remain calm and get to the point when relaying information.

“You absolute rat bastard, I was so close to finding out who got the Varia boss title after old man Tyr was done in hours ago! You just  _ had _ to start talking, you attention seeking piece of -” Needless to say, you were not calm, nor did you get to the point. After all, you were but a mere child who has no regard to authority figures. Granted, brother wasn’t much of an  _ authority _ figure but he was older so there was that. 

“Alright sister dearest, enough of that, how about you tell me what you learned today!” 

“Shut up, I was getting to it.” You weren’t but he doesn’t have to know. Though judging by that smile, he already did. You ignored it in favor of explaining your findings. 

“So like you know, Varia Boss, excuse me,  _ ex-boss _ , was killed. The one who killed him was a child, no older than 14, good with swords,”  _ obviously if he was able to kill boss man. “ _ They kept complaining how he yelled a lot, which seems to be a pretty weird thing to complain about.”  _ because didn’t their boss just die?  _ Mafia guys were weird, you were glad you never had to join a family. 

“A kid huh? That could’ve been you.” 

At that, you stopped putting up your equipment in favor of staring at him. Was he serious? You couldn’t even hold a measly antenna up for a few minutes, what makes him think you can fight some sword master. Seeing your expression, he laughed off his question and finally decided to be useful. 

“Just kidding, just kidding~ Continue.”

“As I was saying, he didn’t accept the position. Maybe if you didn’t speak I would have found out.” You were still salty about that. Now he made things ten times harder on you and you actually had to think. Oh, the horror. Luckily for you, brother did the thinking for you. 

“Ah, so Squalo gave the position to Xanxus. I see.” See? See what? You didn’t, that’s for sure. Who even were these people? You’d look them up later, for now, you had to get everything ready to go. Brother was already starting the drive off, and he wasn’t the best at it. 

“O-kay, we got what we came for. You have another task later on today so you better get some sleep.” You had forgotten about that. It wasn’t until later on in the evening so you had some time. For now though, there were more pressing matters to attend to. 

“Brother?”

“Yes?”

“...I’m hungry.”

**[6:59 P.M, Sicily, Italy]**

You held back a scowl as yet another ugly, money-grubbing, power-hungry, mafioso attempted to scam you for information. In a sea of suits and dresses, you stood out (ironically enough) with your childish stature and informal wear.

You would have been dismissed as some street rat right at the front if it weren’t for the fact that you had on your brother’s signature coat. It’s not like you weren’t known, but your reputation was still growing. For now, you resigned yourself to leeching off brother’s success. And if that meant dealing with dirty old guys trying to intimidate you to get the goods on someone at a party, then you’d just have to make sure you play them for the fools they are. 

With a smile on your face, you proceeded to ruin yet another man’s life. The party you were at was lackluster to say at the least. You expected more from a party held in a castle, like a table of food (though someone might poison it), drinks on trays (also might be poisoned), gifts (poison…), okay, maybe on second thought it’s best to keep it simple. It doesn’t mean you have to like it though. 

As yet another person who recognized the coat you had on began to walk towards you, you decided that your services were no longer open. Quickly, you turned around and began looking for a place to hide. 

The boss you had come to meet had told you to wait until some recital had passed to give him his report. It’s not like you were in a hurry when you arrived so you agreed. Now though, you were kind of regretting your decision. 

As you neared the stage back of the room in your escape attempt, you noticed a boy around your age walking towards the piano that stood in the center. The boss made an announcement that his son was to play, and play he did. 

You stood still, staring straight at him. You were captivated, not by his playing  _ (his playing was pretty trash) _ but by his looks. The silver hair, the green eyes, the pale skin, all of it reminded you of  _ her.  _

_ He’s her spitting image, in looks at least. His piano skills though... sorry Miss Lavina, I guess he didn’t inherit your musicianship. What a shame... _

Watching him attempt to play brought back memories of a time long before, a time where you still haven’t met brother and you only had yourself to rely on. 

**[Four-years ago, Italy]**

“Get your ass back here you brat!”

You sprinted down an alley, the worn soles of your “size-too-small-boots” slapping against the broken pavement, trying to put as much distance in between yourself and an irate shopkeeper. 

As you turned a corner, you almost slipped, the ground still wet from last night's rain. That brief second it took to righten yourself up was all the shopkeep needed in order to get within arm’s reach. With a lunge, he grasped your tattered jacket. 

“Alright kid, you’re gonna give me what you took and the- hey!”

Thinking fast, you shrugged off the jacket and took off, pushing yourself to go faster. In your moment of panic, you immediately turned into the next alley, only to find yourself face to face with a door. This, was a dead end. It signified not only the end of the alleyway but also what would most likely be then end of your life as well. 

You knew it, and you knew the shopkeep knew as well, if that satisfied grin on his face was anything to go by. With no place to hide and nowhere to run, you were stuck. 

At least, you would be if you weren’t, well, you. Taking a step back, you ran towards the door. When one foot planted itself firmly on its surface, you all but ran up the door. Grabbing the window sill above the door, you pulled yourself up and over the edge of the building. 

Once on top, you took the time to look down at the man who chased you for over an hour. You had to admire his dedication, most people would have fallen behind and gave up. Then again, most people didn’t have the entirety of their daily earnings stolen by a child. Still, he deserved a prize. 

“You can keep the jacket, it was too big anyways.” With that, you climbed onto the apartment building next to you and left his sight. 

When you were finally what you thought was a safe distance away, you climbed down onto the street. With the money you gained, you could finally get something to eat. You could hold off on getting a new jacket, as summers were hot and humid. Having made up your mind, you began looking for something to fill your empty stomach. 

_ So if I just eat one meal a day using the money I have it’ll last longer but if I give some to the old ladies who live near the fountain then they’ll feed me for a while, and homemade food is always better.  _ You really did want homemade food but you knew you couldn't afford to be picky. Food is food and you’d be lucky to get your hands on scraps. 

A shout from behind caught your attention and you turned to take a look at the commotion. It was the shopkeep you swindled wearlier, except now he had a group of buddies with him. You recognized them as some low level thugs that were looking to get into one of the lower families. 

_ Wow, he really wants his money back. _ You thought it was pretty neat how persistent he was but now it’s just scary. 

It didn’t seem like they recognized you yet, so you walked alongside the shops, trying to blend in the crowd. From the rapid footsteps heading your way, it didn’t seem like you succeeded. Not wanting to take a chance, you ran off and around the corner, entering the first shop you saw. 

You took a moment to calm your racing heart, closing your eyes and taking deep breaths. When you finally opened them, you scanned the shop for any good hiding places. 

It seemed that you stumbled inside a music shop. Instruments of all types lined the walls. Violins, guitars, trumpets, saxophones, flutes, pretty much everything you could think of. Racks filled with strings, reeds, valve oil, other miscellaneous items needed for instrument care, it was all there. Near the back there was a collection of sheet music and what seemed like an extra room in the small hallway in the back. The glass counter hosted various mouthpieces inside, prices written on little slips of paper placed in front of its respective item.

Yes, you decided, this was a very good place to hide. Nodding to yourself, you moved to go further in when suddenly (at least, for you) a voice spoke up. It was from the old man behind the counter, seemingly confused as to why some street urchin barged into his shop. The confusion didn’t last long though. After all, the only reason why some street kid would walk into a shop is if they were planning to steal. 

The old man started shouting at you, telling you to leave. 

“Don’t think you could steal from me! I’m under the protection of-” You weren’t really listening, it was the same speech over and over again. You’d take things if you want to, thank you very much. You didn’t know how you would go about stealing an instrument though, that seemed like it would be too much trouble. 

At this time you would usually take something and dip but right now you were trying to hide and his yelling was bound to call attention if someone walked past the door. Your anxiousness must have shown on your face because the next thing you knew, a woman stood up from her spot behind the piano and told the man to calm down. 

You haven’t even noticed her or the piano when you first looked around the room. That was kind of embarrassing, for someone who boasts her observational skills you sure were blind. How could you not notice the presence of another person? Forget that, how could you not notice the baby grand piano in the corner of the room? That was just sad, you had to get better at viewing your surroundings. 

For now though, you had to deal with this before it became a problem. There were two ways to solve this. Either go back outside and risk getting beat or explain the situation to the old man. He didn't look like he was willing to listen but maybe…

Taking a glance at the young woman next to him, you put your best “helpless child” expression and began your Oscar-worthy performance. 

“Excuse me Miss, can you help me?” Pouting for extra measure, you feigned distress. You didn’t really have to fake it much since you  _ were _ pretty scared about what would happen (they’d probably throw you in a ditch after beating you within an inch of your life). She seemed to fall for it, a frown adorning her face as she motioned you to come closer. 

“There’s some scary men that are after me, I-”

The old man snorted from his spot from behind the counter, not bothering to hide his disbelief at your innocent act.

“The brat probably stole something.” 

It took everything in you to resist biting him, how dare he undermine your acting with his (true) words. You opted for ignoring him and upping the effectiveness of your facade. 

_ (Y/N) used Fake Tears! It’s super effective! _

_ Mysterious Woman’s Defense Sharply Fell! _

“Oh hush Niccoló, can’t you see she’s genuinely scared? Don’t bully a child, you’re a grown man.” 

_ Ha, take that Niccoló.  _

She turned to you, patting you gently on the head. “Don’t worry child, those scary men won’t hurt you. I’ll make sure of it.”

Okay, now you were feeling kind of bad. This lady was really nice and all, but she looked kind of sickly, how could she protect you from a twig, let alone a couple of thugs. Oh well, you already went this far, might as well see it through the end. 

“Really?”

“Of course, now come this way, come on, before those men come here.” She ushered you towards the back, where the separate room was, ignoring Niccoló’s curses. He didn’t move to stop her though, and that’s all that mattered. Maybe the lady would be okay if things turned violent after all. The old man seemed pretty fond of her, maybe he’ll protect her with some super secret magical powers. Like super strength, or fire. Maybe he could blow things up with one of his instruments, who knows. Old men are dangerous, you could never underestimate them. 

When you were in the small room, the lady looked around for possible places to put you. There wasn’t much space since there was a tuba right there, along with a chair and music stand, which took up more than half the room. While she was thinking, the front door of the shop opened and the old man’s voice could be heard greeting them. 

“Welcome gentlemen, what can I do for you?”

“Where’s the kid?” 

At that, you and the lady looked at each other. 

“Terribly sorry, but we don’t sell kids.”

“Cut the crap old man, someone said they saw her run inside here.” 

Before you knew it, the lady had taken a hold of your arm and pushed you into a case, motioning you to stay quiet by putting a finger to her lips.  _ I’ll be back,  _ she mouthed, moving to close the case completely. 

There you laid, in the darkness of one tuba case. Rather morbidly, you thought how it could make for a nice child sized coffin. Noise from the outside was muffled but you could still hear enough to make out what was being said. 

“What’s wrong Niccoló, I heard shouting from the back.” 

“Ah Lavina! It’s nothing, these men seemed to have been mistaken.” 

_ Lavina. Finally, a name to put to the face.  _ You were getting tired of calling her “lady” in your head, it felt too rude for someone so nice. 

“It wasn’t a mistake old man, tell us where the kid is and we’ll leave your precious instruments alone.” 

Ah yes, the classic thug lines. Honestly, this was a pretty cliché scenario. You were mad at yourself for being a part of it but such is the life of the main character. Oh, old man Niccoló was saying something. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, gentlemen. After all, the Rossini family do so enjoy my instruments.”

You see what he did there, throwing out the name of the local family so easily hinted at connections. From what you could tell, it seemed legit. The Rossini were small but strong, and the boss was known for his love of music. Anyone with a brain could put two and two together. Sadly, the shopkeep seemed to have lost his from running around the town chasing you. 

“Yeah right old man. Like if-” 

The rest of his words were lost in the crashing noises that followed. You couldn’t tell what was happening but you wanted to. You were dying of curiosity. You wanted to go out to look but Lavina told you to stay still, so that’s what you’ll do. 

Or at least you did, for only a couple more seconds. You couldn’t help it, listening to older people was never your thing. Pushing the top half of the case up ( _ thank goodness she didn’t latch it closed)  _ you made your way out the room, careful to stay hidden behind the corner. As took took a quick look, you became more confused. Nothing looked broken so what were the crashing noises? And where were the guys?

Before you could think too deeply about it, Lavina was in front of you. 

“Oh, you got out? I’m sorry, that took longer than I would have liked.”

That was… nope, you weren’t going to think too deeply about it. You’ll just thank them for their help and be on your way. Yeah, then you won’t have to cause them problems again. It was nice meeting them but now it was time to go so that’s what you would do. Leaving real quick ran in your family after all. You could do it with ease.

“Would you like some food? Niccoló invited us out to eat after he closes up shop.”

“I never invited the brat, don’t lie.”

“Don’t be like that Niccoló, look how skinny she is! She looks like she’s been starving for weeks.”

“So do all the other street brats, are you going to take them all out to eat?”

“Niccoló-”

As you stood there listening to them bickering, you felt like you didn’t want to leave. You could have walked out when they were distracted but you didn’t. You felt calmer than you had in a long time, the constant adrenaline that kept you going seemingly gone, replaced by a soothing stream of  _ something. _

You found yourself smiling, for real this time. Whether it was the promise of food or something else you didn’t know but that didn’t matter now. 

“Let’s get going then.” A hand reached out for you to take. Hesitating, you stared at her. She was smiling gently, patiently waiting on you. You then turned to the old man. He was the one paying, and if he didn’t want you there then you would respect his decision. When he saw you turn to him, he let out a huff and turned away. 

“C’mon brat, we don’t have all day. The discount ends at 5.”

You took Lavina’s hand and set out to follow the old man who was waiting outside. As your small party of three walked down the road, Lavina turned to you. 

“What’s your name? I never got it, with all that happened.”

That’s true, you never did introduce yourself. Then again, no one ever really cared for the name of a street rat. Still, these people were different. If they wanted a name then a name they’ll get. Except…

“I forgot.”

It was true. You didn’t remember what name you had. Your earliest memories were of finding places to sleep. The faces of your parents were blurry and their voices were just static. You had no relatives that you knew of, no one knew who you were. Your name was essentially lost in time. 

“You forgot? That’s no good, what am I supposed to call you? Hey, Niccoló, what should we call her?” 

“Brat, nuisance, rat, need I say more?”

“That’s not very nice.”

“What? Look at her, she’s small, fast, from the streets. That’s a whole rat.”

_ I mean, he’s not wrong.  _ It was amusing, you’ve been around them for less than a day and you could already tell they loved to bicker. 

“I got it! Niccoló is right, but rat is too mean. I’ll call you  _ topolina _ , little mouse. At least until you remember your name. When you remember, make sure to tell me okay?”

_ Little mouse huh?  _ Well, it’s leagues better than what Niccoló was suggesting. 

“Oh! That’s Niccoló as you already know, and my name is Lavina. Nice to meet you!”

_ A proper introduction? There’s no need, I already know. _ Just when you were going to say just that, your mouth moved on it’s own.

“Thank you.”

From that day on, you would drop by the shop every now and then. Niccoló was always there, since it  _ was _ his shop and you took great pleasure in annoying him. It wasn’t that hard, all you had to do was exist and it sets him off. Despite all his harsh words, you and he had a sort of understanding between you. 

One day he had noticed you staring at the instruments. When he asked what was wrong, you admitted that you didn't know how they sounded. Niccoló took that as a personal attack and next thing you know, mini recitals ft. himself would be held ever so often. When he saw how much you appreciated the music, he began teaching you himself. You questioned him, but all he said was;

_ “I’m not doing this for you, I’m going to die soon so I have to pass on my legacy. You're not the best choice but you’re better than nothing. Barely.” _

When you told Lavina this, she just laughed and called him a  _ tsundere _ . You didn’t know what that meant but if she said it then it was true. Niccoló may have taught you about instruments, but he left the piano to Lavina. She was often at the shop and if she wasn’t, well, you could find her at her apartment. 

Soon enough, you learned that Lavina had a child. 

“He’s around your age, maybe a little bit younger.” She had said. When you had prompted her to share more, you found out that she could only see him three times a year. 

“That’s so little though. Aren’t you sad?” You had asked that but you already knew the answer. Despite all the bickering, despite all the smiles she sent your way, she always had an air of melancholy surrounding her. You had assumed it was just how she was as a person but now you knew the real reason.

“Yeah, I’m heartbroken. But at least I can see him and plus, I have my  _ topolina _ to keep me from getting lonely!” She caught you in a hug and began tickling you, leaving you screeching in laughter. 

_ That explained a lot of things, _ you thought. She was always trying to get you to eat, brought old clothes of hers for you to have, she even asked if you’d want to move in with her. You didn’t want to bother her, with her already frail state so you declined. 

She probably saw you as a surrogate child, someone to take out all her motherly urges. That was fine though. If it made her happy, then that’s all that mattered. No need to stress her out over something she can’t control. 

.......

_ “Hey, brat.” You were perched on a stool, rosining a bow. Niccoló was checking inventory before he suddenly felt the need to address you. Both of you were getting along pretty well with each other now and days, progress. _

_ “Yeah old man?” _

_ “Respect your elders kid,” it was an immediate response,Niccoló was used to your poor manners. “I want to tell you something important, so listen up. Lavina is sick. She has an illness that will one day take her life.” _

_ You paused in your task, bow hanging limply from your hand. You weren’t expecting that. Before you could ask for more specifics, the old man kept talking.  _

_ “It’s only getting worse, she’s stressing too much and she has reason to believe that someone is after her life. I need you to make her life easier.”  _

You understood where he was coming from. Stress would worsen her health and lead to an accelerated rate of death. Once you understood that, the rest was simple. Help Lavina relax and be more happy, and that’ll make for a longer life. 

So with that in mind, you changed the topic from her son and moved on with life. Months passed, and Niccoló’s music shop continued being a constant in your life.

When you showed up with better clothes, looking well fed, Niccoló and Lavina felt more at ease knowing that you were finally being taken care of. They never did pry into your life, it was more than enough for them to see you grow healthy. 

And grow you did. If only they could see you now. 

**[Present-Day, 7:11 P.M, Italy]**

As genderbent child Lavina finished his sad excuse of playing, you watched in confusion as everyone began applauding.  _ Were they high? They couldn’t actually think that was a good performance, could they? _

As if determined to prove you wrong, you heard a man exclaim from beside you,

“How modern! It was beautiful!”

With that, you resigned yourself to never being able to understand grown ups. They were confusing and caused headaches you could do without. Now that the recital was over, it was time to do your job. 

You should’ve learned to stop tempting the universe by now. When you were looking for the boss you ran into the Modern-Liszt. Still, it wasn’t all that bad. You had been wanting to talk to him and you had the perfect opportunity now, so you did. 

“Hey chibi Lavina, your piano playing sucked.”

He groaned but said nothing. Now that you’re close, he looks a little sick. Could it be that he had the same illness…? Oh snap, if he did, you had to be careful. You didn’t want his father blaming you for his death or anything. It’s okay, you’ll be alright, you were the epitome of calmness. 

_ What the fuck what the fuck whatthefuuuuck. _

At least, you were on the outside. You moved towards the boy, slinging his arm over your shoulder and walking towards a chair to set him down. You were so focused on the boy that you ran into a vase. It began wobbling precariously and you quickly moved to steady it. 

In doing so, you had dropped the boy and down he went. 

_ What is up with me and accidentally hurting the sons of powerful mafia men.  _

“Oh snap, I’m so sorry, here let me-” You reached down and pulled the boy up, finally making it to a small sofa in the hallway. You laid him on it so he could rest and continued talking to him. You wanted to tell him about his mother, but he didn’t know who she was, as per mafia law. 

_ Technically though, those laws don’t apply to me… I’m not sworn into any family so… _

Screw it, you were telling him. 

“Uh, sorry for dropping you. You don’t know me but I knew your mother.” You looked down for a reaction but all you got was a groan. Good enough. “You know your mother too, actually.” At that, the boy turned his head and…  _ glared? _ You couldn’t really tell, his face was scrunched up in pain. Wait, did he just  _ hiss? _ Okay you got it, you think you know your mother huh boy. Well, think again. 

“Don’t look at me like that. Have you ever noticed you don’t look like the boss’ wife? Or your sister? Hell, you don’t even look like your dad!” That was met with a weak swipe of the hand towards your face.  _ He’s like a cat. _

“Your mother was your piano teacher. Daddy dearest had an affair and you were the result.” A grunt. Poor kid was really sick huh. No matter, you were almost finished. 

“Don’t get mad at the boss man, he made it so that you could see your mother. Other bastard children don’t get that luxury.” A wince. Ah, you probably shouldn’t have said it like that.  _ Rephrase, quick. _

_ “ _ Sorry! I don’t mean it like that y’know I was just uhh… If it helps, I don’t have a mother too.” That was right, right? Bonding over shared trauma or something like that. You remember brother saying it was a good way to connect with people. Not that his advice was any good because most of the time it ended in chaos and bloodshed and  _ oh damn what did you do. _

The kid was just, staring at you. With effort, he sat up. You were going to push him back down but he raised a hand to stop you, so you stepped back and waited. When he opened his mouth, you stepped closer to hear better. Taking a breath, he exhaled and then… 

_ Threw up on your shoes.  _

For a while, both of you just stood/sat there in silence. He looked embarrassed  _ as he should _ and when he opened his mouth ( _ you took a step back just in case) _ to, presumably, apologize, a deep voice sounded beside you. 

“Hayato, there you are. That was wonderful, from now on I’ll have Bianchi give you more cookies before you play.” There stood the boss man you were here to see, and beside him, a girl a couple of years older than you stood, holding a plate of cookies with  _ were those worms? Why is it purple and oh no did they feed that to the poor kid? It’s a wonder how he’s not dead yet.  _

“Oh, and you, child. Thank you for waiting. Come, let's go to my office to discuss.” The man turned on his heel and walked away, leaving you with no choice but to follow. 

Nodding to the girl in acknowledgment of her presence, you turned to  _ newly-dubbed _ Hayato and spoke.

“It was nice meeting you, Hayato,”  _ not really,  _ “Keep in mind what I said, okay? Oh, and don’t worry about the shoes, it’s fine, you’re fine, we’re cool, okay, uh. Get well soon? Ciao.” With that, you jogged to catch up to your client, oblivious to the pair of green eyes following your every move. 

Now in the safety of the head honcho’s office, you were seated on the plush armchair before his desk. 

“Did you find out what happened.”

Not a question, but you’ll treat it like one anyways. You needed him to know that you weren’t subservient to him, that you were the one with all the cards at the moment. 

“Did you ever doubt our skills? Brother would be quite hurt to hear that one of our partners is questioning his influence. Of course I have the information, as long as you have the money.”

“I would never doubt your brother. You, on the other hand.”  _ Ouch.  _ “He said you were in charge of gathering all the data. Forgive me for being apprehensive of the quality.” 

Damn, he really just said you suck. It’s okay, he’ll learn the truth soon enough. Of both your skills and what truly happened to Lavina. Or at least, the truth you gave him.

.......

_ “Hey sister dearest~” When you were getting ready to head out, brother called you over. “The report on the don’s mistress, you said the wife did her in, right?” _

_ “Huh? Yeah, I have audio that pretty much confirms that she was the mastermind behind the crash. Why do you ask? _

_ “Just thinking… how ya think the boss man is gonna take the news? Bet he won’t be too thrilled, hm?” _

_ Oh, you saw where he was going with that. Yeah, it was doubtful he would believe that and if he did, he really couldn’t do much about it. The safest thing would be to- _

_ “So just lie to him and you can do whatever you want to the wife!” That’s right, that’s the reason you didn’t want to tell him. You wanted to get revenge on the woman yourself. If you left it up to the don there was no guarantee you’d get justice for Lavina’s death. After all, there was no way that- _

“She died due to her illness. It was unfortunate that her heart gave out when she was driving. There was no evidence of tampering, the autopsy came back clean, no signs of poison.”

“Suicde?” 

“Unlikely, there was a present addressed to Hayato in the remains of the car. She wanted to be there for her son’s sixth birthday.”

“I see... “ The boss stood, walking towards the window overlooking the gardens. “Leave the files there. The money will be wired to the usual account. Thank you for your work.” 

A clear dismissal. He must have wanted you to leave before he started crying but it was too late. You had already noticed the tears running down his face through the window’s reflection. Silently, you got up and walked out the door. There were some things you had to take care of back home. 

**[2:22 A.M, Naples, Italy]**

A single lamppost flickered overhead. The pavement, still wet from last night’s rain, glistened in the light. Water dripped from overhead, the gentle drops of water being the only sound. The tranquil atmosphere broken by the shrill noise of a phone ringing. 

_ click _

_ “ _ Ciaossu.”

A figure stepped into the light, a hat shadowing their face from view. 

_ “Reborn? I have a job for you.”  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not me pulling out ACII in order to look at parkour through the streets of italy lmao. okay so quick, i try updating once a week, last week I was dying so that was a no but thins week I made up for it with triple the usual page count. which is gonna be the norm bc one) if I keep going the rate I am, we won't hit canon for another 30 chaps oops. and two) I want to expand on the childhood parts a lot bc that's what leads to the canon divergence and I have to set it up or else it'll look like I'm just pulling things out of nowhere later on. MC is around 7 rn, Tsuna is 6 so there's the ages. 
> 
> If anyone is interested, the Tuba cases I'm talking about are the wedge looking ones, the big boxy ones. I forgot what they're called lmao but just search up "unitec tuba cases" and you'll see. 
> 
> that's it. as always, I ain't edit anything so sorry for any mistakes. Thanks for reading <3


	6. awakening, maybe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's your 8th birthday! what the world gift you? trauma!

**[11:11 AM, (y/n)’s room]**

“Happy birthday!”

You crashed to the floor as you were rudely awakened by brother. He had come into your room and snatched your salvation from the cold away with no remorse. You wouldn’t have been bothered by his antics any other time but you were tired. He had you running all over the city earlier that morning, you were spent. 

“Five more hours…” you groaned, making grabby hands towards the blankets he held hostage. You were certain there was nothing left to do for today, all the work you did before meant you deserved some rest. Brother dearest apparently didn’t think so, he had already pulled you up and was dragging you out the door. 

Years ago you had wondered how he was able to function as a human being but know you understood that your brother was to forever remain an enigma and it would only give you a headache if you _tried_ to understand him. Even so, you couldn’t help but question him sometimes. Like now, for instance. 

“Birthday? That’s not for another week…” Now that you thought about it, you wondered why he brought it up. Brother wasn’t really one for birthdays. Or at least, that’s what you thought since he never told you his own.

When you had asked about it he just said that they were “insignificant” and “held no meaning other than to denote the passage of time, reminding us of our inevitable death”. Or something like that. It was best to just nod along when he went on one of his tangents. 

You didn’t really mind the lack of celebration though, the small cake he would give you near the end of the day was enough. So the fact that he was actively announcing it was pretty suspicious. His unpredictability was an asset in your line of work but when it was aimed towards you, _well_ , let’s just say that you were currently wishing you had hid. 

Since you were busy thinking of ways to escape your brother’s clutches, you weren’t listening as he prattled on about something. It was only until you heard the word “present” that you zoned back in. The only present you would get would be the cake you didn’t have to share, if you could even call it that. 

“Eh?” Your lack of attention must have shown on your face because he rolled his eyes and (softly) whacked you on the head. 

“As I was saying, I know your birthday isn’t until next week but I thought that giving you a present for once would be fun!” Brother turned to you, grinning so widely that it immediately put you on edge. That was too cut and dry an explanation, way too simple for the tastes of someone as dramatic and extra as your brother. 

“What’s the catch?” 

At your question, his expression shifted to something that almost looked… _pleased?_ “You know me so well, as expected of my protégé. Giving you a gift would be too easy, and I’m not really sure if you deserve it or not. So I came up with a way that solves both problems!”

You probably should have gone with Escape Plan 2C when you had the chance. He probably came up with some terrible plan that could land you in jail, or a grave or what if you get kidnapped for human experimentation or child trafficking or maybe-

“You have until your birthday to find your present before I take it back, have fun!”

**[5 Days until Deadline (aka Birthday)]**

A scavenger hunt. A bloody scavenger hunt had you travel to the middle of nowhere in France to search for clues that will lead you to your present. Honestly, you didn’t even care about the present at first. You were planning on ignoring the clue your brother had given you and go back to sleep but he kept popping up and telling you what a great present he had prepared and how “sad I am that all my effort is going to waste!”

 _Good_ , you thought. _Let him learn how it feels like when all his hard work is ignored._ Maybe that’ll teach him not to be extra. After a couple of hours it seemed like he finally gave up on convincing you but you had underestimated his persistence. 

When you crawled out of your room to get food, he was sitting at the kitchen counter, eating. You stopped and eyed him warily a bit but determined that food was more important so you served yourself a bowl of cereal and sat on the stool next to him. Everything was peaceful, you ate, he ate, everyone ate, it was great. He didn’t try to bring up his game even as you finished and washed the dishes you used. You were about to exit the kitchen when you decided that you were too confused to keep quiet. 

“Aren’t you going to say something?”

“About what?” he asked through a mouthful of pasta. 

“You kept bothering me about going through with your dumb little game, aren’t you going to say anything else about that?”

“No, no I realize that maybe I made the clue too hard for you to understand. They only get harder from here, it’s maybe for the best you don’t try, I don’t want you to end up dead in a ditch due to some game. I’ll make it easier next year.”

It was a trap. Some reverse psychology to manipulate you into going. You knew it, and he knew that you knew so were you really going to go along with his whims? Short answer was yes, yes you would. No one could question your intelligence without you doing something about it. 

And so here you were, walking through an unnamed forest in France. You had lost a day due to your reluctance to get started, you had to do things double time to make up for it. Easier said than done when you have no idea where to go next. The last note you found told you that there was a clue somewhere in this forest and you were left nothing but a shitty hand drawn map to guide you. 

The plus side to all of this was that you were surrounded by trees and you were alone with no one to judge you. So what were you to do besides try to copy that show you would watch in your free time? Climbing the nearest tree, you took a glance around and came to the conclusion that no, you could not be a _shinobi_. It wasn’t your lack of skill, it was just the fact that the _Naruto_ -verse has some really big trees. 

That didn’t stop you from trying though. After a few tries and falls, you finally got the hang of jumping around from tree to tree. At times there wouldn’t be a tree close enough to jump to so you would have to climb down and back up. It was a pain but if you treated this like training, you could get through it. Besides, it was way more fun than just walking. You had almost forgotten that you were supposed to be looking for something. Almost, until you heard the sound of running water and realized that, ‘ _oh, I’m lost.’_

It looks like you weren’t the only one. There was a kid sitting on the riverbank, mumbling to himself. Any other time you might have ignored him but there were three things that made you approach him. One, he looked troubled. Two, it’s been a while since you talked to someone your age and you thought it’d be cool to make a new friend. Three, and perhaps the most important, was the big, red, apple he had for a head. 

_Yes_ , you decided, _he’ll make for a wonderful friend_. You climbed down the tree and walked up to him. He was facing the opposite direction unaware of your presence so you waited a bit for him to notice you. After some time passed and he continued speaking to himself, you decided to take things in your own hands. 

You reached out towards his hat and pulled it off, only for it to disappear in your hands. You stood there blinking, confused at what just happened. _I wanted to try it on…_

Despite not getting what you aimed for, you did achieve your primary purpose. The boy stood up quickly, staring at you with wide, unblinking eyes the same shade as his hair. He said something and that’s when you realized you didn’t think this through. Of course he would speak French, why wouldn’t he? 

It wasn’t the first time you had to overcome a language barrier, you could do it again. Maybe. Hopefully. You started gesturing towards yourself and then the trees, hoping that the kid could decipher your poor charade performance. 

His face slowly changed from the deadpan stare to something more lively, making you think he understood what you had wanted but nothing was ever that easy. The boy started dancing? It looked more like some demonic summoning ritual but you weren’t one to judge. Still, you also weren’t one to keep quiet. 

“You look like you’re possessed...” You said it without expecting an answer so imagine your surprise when the boy not only stopped but spoke in Japanese of all things. 

“Why are you here, ghost fairy? Have you come to take me away? You look younger than I thought you would.” 

_I’m sorry, what? Ghost fairy?_ Maybe you were translating wrong, it’s been awhile since you had to use your intermediate Japanese skills. Yeah, that must be it because otherwise, this boy had some issues. 

“Are you hungry? Is that why you took my apple? Don’t eat me, I won’t taste good. Do fairies even eat? You can have my grandmother’s bento but they’re awful.” 

Okay so you weren’t hearing things wrong, he was actually talking about fairies. You’ve met a lot of people in your (short) lifetime but this had to be the weirdest person as of yet. _Well, it would be boring if he wasn’t._

“Ghost fairy?” Oh yes, he was asking questions earlier, right? Time to answer,

“I’m not a fairy but maybe you could help me? I’m looking for a paper.” 

“A paper? Do fairies read?” 

“I’m… not a fairy?”

He blinked once, twice, before nodding his head in confirmation. Of what, you did not know. “I get it. It’s a secret. I won’t tell anyone ghost fairy so it’s okay. Come on, I saw a note earlier.” He walked away after motioning for you to follow. 

With nothing else to do and a new friend to make, you followed. 

“Why do you call me ghost fairy?”

“Hm? That’s what you are.”

“...Why though?”

“Couldn’t feel a presence. Quiet. Ghost.”

That was the best you were going to get, you supposed. You’ve only known the boy for less than an hour and you already knew he was going to be difficult to read. You decided to give him your name on the off chance that he’ll actually use it. 

“Fairies have human names?” he mumbled, probably so you wouldn’t hear. In a much louder, yet still monotonous voice he introduced himself as Fran. 

You and Fran have been walking for some time and you’ve come to learn a couple of things about him. He’s convinced you’re a fairy, he likes fruit, and he can somehow make things appear out of nothing. When you asked him how he did that, he responded with;

“Magic. I’ve been waiting for a fairy to come and take me to their realm because of my magical powers but they haven’t showed up. Until you. You did come here because of my magic, right?”

You didn’t have the heart to tell him you were lost, that was the most emotion you’ve seen out of the boy and you didn’t want to be the one responsible for making it go away. Instead of answering, you asked him to show you and for the second time in your life you were made witness to flames sprouting out of people. Except, unlike Tsu-kun’s orange one’s, Fran’s was a soft indigo lightning to white on the edges. 

You had forgotten about the existence of the flames after so long of not seeing them, and you never did get around to asking your brother about them. Fran thought that it was magic so you couldn’t count on him giving you any information. It made you wonder though, does everyone have them? Can you get them? And if so, how? What color would yours be?

You hoped it was something cool, like black. It would help you to stay hidden in the shadows and you wouldn’t have to worry about your flames being bright enough to spot. 

Fran stopped in front of a sign and motioned towards the surface, where there was a bright, obnoxious piece of paper nailed on it. Thanking him for his help, he just shrugged and went to the nearest tree, lying down. The next minute soft snore could be heard. 

Shaking your head somewhat fondly (you would never admit to being soft for your “friends” your age. Granted you only ever had one but Fran could count as another, right?), you turned to the note in your hands to read the next clue and immediately cursed. 

Brother, that bastard, had written the next clue in French, “to match the country <3!,” he had said in his note. You thought it was just another passive-aggressive way into bullying you to learn another language. Well, at least you had Fran with you. It shouldn’t take too long to get the note translated and be on your way. 

Walking towards where Fran had gone, you crouched near his sleeping form. 

“Hey, Fran, buddy, can you wake up real quick?” 

Nothing happened. You reached out, poking his cheek in an attempt to wake him and still, nothing happened. You started poking him more, thinking it’ll be enough but no dice. Eventually, you gave up on being friendly and resorted to shaking him by his shoulders. 

“Fran? Hey wake up, please? Buddy? Pal? Fran? Fran? Fran! Oh my fucking gosh he’s fucking dead.” You’ve heard of heavy sleepers but this was just ridiculous. You had already wasted enough time so you should get going but you couldn't just leave him there. You felt like you owed him for leading you to the note. With a sigh, you resigned yourself to sleepless nights later to make up for the time you'll lose. 

You took a seat next to Fran and leaned back on the tree. He didn't seem like he was going to get up soon and you might as well rest before going on some wild goose chase. For now, you'll take a nap to make sure you can handle it. 

\-------

_There’s something coming closer to my face._

You kept your eyes closed and waited until the thing got closer, and closer, and now! Opening your mouth, you chomped on the offending… _finger_? Eyes now open, you traced the finger back to an unamused Fran. _He tastes like dirt,_ you thought as you opened your mouth and to release him from your trap. 

He stared at his finger before wiping it on his pants. “This is the thanks I get for letting you use me as a pillow? I’m hurt.” He doesn’t look very hurt but then again, he doesn’t look like much very often. But now that he mentioned it, you noticed you weren’t leaning back on a tree. Instead, you were lying down and had used Fran’s lap as a cushion. Oops. Sitting up, you took a quick glance at your surroundings, noticing how you wasted about two hours napping. That wasn’t too bad, you could make that time up. Assuming that you wouldn’t be expected to go all over the world for a scavenger hunt. 

After apologizing to Fran for biting him, you asked if he could translate the note for you. He did, but not before saying something about how fairies were built different. As he read it out loud, you cried a little on the inside. It sounds as if you had your work cut out for you, you wouldn’t be able to rest until you reached the next clue. At least you got that short catnap in. You had to thank Fran for that later. Or, actually, right now, since you had to leave. 

“Hey Fran, it’s been fun but I have to go now. Thanks for leading me to the note. And sleeping on you. And also for reading the note. Oh wow, you helped me out a lot, I owe you one.” 

“You’re not going to take me with you?” 

Oh yeah, Fran was waiting for a fairy to whisk him away. Too bad you were on a time crunch, you might have just took him along if his grandmother didn’t mind. Oh well, maybe next time. Who knows when you’ll see each other again, if you ever did. 

“Sorry, Fran.”

“Bye-bye, ghost fairy."

_Bye-bye, Fran._

**[23 Hours Til Deadline]**

You had about one more day until you started seeing hallucinations from sleep deprivation so were understandably you weren’t in the best condition. _Just this last clue, then I’ll sleep before getting my prize._ You had learned from searching for the other clues that brother had people scattered around that knew of your little hunt. If you could point them out, they would give you extra clues that made your search easier. Some would even have food and a place to sleep for you. It was all really intricate, as expected of your brother. 

You were suffering a bit from jet lag but something told you that you were really close to finishing your brother's little game so you kept on going. You were actually starting to have fun with the scavenger hunt, not that you would ever tell your brother that. The previous clue had led you to a series of alleyways that you had roamed when you were younger. It brought back memories, some good and some bad but all appreciated. The sun would still be out for another hour or so, but you had to hurry, these streets weren’t that safe and you were in no condition to run away. 

You were wandering around, as per your m.o, when you noticed it. The distinct smell of Sfincione wafted through the alleys and, also as per your m.o, you were hungry. To follow your clues or to follow your stomach, you were in quite the dilemma. Except it wasn’t much of a question, you would always choose food above all else. With your mind made up, you began following the scent like some bloodhound. If this informant business didn’t work out you can always become a police dog. Your life would revolve around crime either way so you might as well stick to your current one. Paying the vendor for your pizza, you doubled back to where your clue led you. 

Your pace quickened as the sun began to set. In the distance you saw where your next clue was supposed to wait, inside the small plaza fountain. Stepping out of the alley, you walked towards the fountain, looking inside to see if you spotted a package of some sort. There were a couple of people, just three men, lingering around the plaza but you didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t unusual to see a couple of street thugs roaming around after hours. The local gangs all knew who you were related to so they didn’t dare try anything. 

Finally spotting a plastic bag, you stretched as far as you could. As you were trying to grab the bag, you continued observing the three men stationed to the side. Just because they weren’t out of place didn’t mean you could let your guard down. Listening in on their conversation you found out that they weren’t just some local gang members.

“Why do we gotta do this again?” Thug One asked. 

Thug Two, the one with a cigarette in his mouth answered after taking a lazy drag, “The boss said our buddies needed some fresh meat ‘n that we had to send a gift to ‘em to strengthen the alliance.” 

“I get that much,” One said, “but why we gotta do it?”

The last member of their trio decided to speak then. “We’re not the only ones dumbass. There’s a whole buncha us wandering the streets. Boss said to treat this like a competition.”

“The one with the most kids by the end of the day wins. After all, the Brivio need to treat their friends kindly.”

You were in trouble, you realized. The Brivio were big on child trafficking and because of that, you and your brother didn’t associate with them. That meant that one, they didn’t know who you were and _that_ meant they might snatch you up. You were great at running, climbing and hiding but not much else. Especially not when you were only hours away from unwillingly passing out. You were going to hide and wait until they left to get your package but as fate would have it, you stretched too far and landed in the fountain with a splash. That attracted the attention of the people you were trying to avoid and so of course, you ran. 

Adrenaline coursed through your veins, the full moon above giving you ample light to work with as you zipped in through alleyways and between buildings. By now, you would have usually taken the high road, climbing storefronts and running on roofs but you were sleepy and wet and just overall too tired do anything but run. Hearing voices behind you, you slowed down, though not by choice. You just couldn’t go on. If worse comes to worse, you thought as you ran into a nearby alley in a last-ditch effort to hide, _I can always just let them catch me and escape during transport. They usually send children overseas… Should I go in the crate?_

There was an empty crate off to the side that could fit you if you tried. But, no, the crate would be obvious. Or maybe it was just the right amount obvious where people won’t think you hid there because it was too obvious? Spotting an alleyway hidden in the shadows to the side, you walked over, careful not to make noise and crouched down. It was a dead-end but there really wasn’t anywhere to go. All you could do was hold your breath and hope they were blind enough not to see the alley. The sound of footsteps got closer and their voices clearer.

“Damn, where’d she go?” That sounded like Thug One. Good, he wasn’t close.

Shuffling noises were heard, and then the sound of wood splintering echoed in the alley. It’s a good thing you didn’t hide in the crate then. Shivering from the cold, you tried getting smaller in an attempt to preserve more warmth. If you didn’t get a change of clothes soon you’ll surely get sick. 

“What the hell are you making so much noise for?” That was Three, so the one who broke the crate was…

“Sorry man, just thought the kid might hide in there.” That was Two, okay, three for three. You could probably make a break for it as soon as they-

“So you kicked it? Stupid, the Estraneo want healthy kids they can mess with without ‘em dying on ‘em. What if you broke the little bastard. Then we’d have to throw ‘em away.”

“It was a chick right? I’m sure we coulda find something to do with ‘er.”

They kept on talking but you were no longer listening. _The Estraneo._ They were one of the lowest of the low, the vermin of the mafia world. Members of the family couldn’t show their faces outside without getting shot. Within good reason too. They performed countless inhumane experiments on their kids but if they were outsourcing as means to get their hands on more children then that must mean… _all of theirs are dead_. 

It was a horrifying thought but if it were true that meant that families like the Brivio will start providing kids to get their hands on research. In the face of potential power, they would be willing to look away from Estraneo's less than pleasant business. 

You were shivering again, but not from the cold this time. You felt sick. Kids would be picked off the street and sent off to a painful death and you could do nothing about it. You were too weak, you couldn’t fight, you didn’t have enough connections, you couldn’t do _anything_ at all. They would be captured and killed and you wouldn't be able to do a damn thing about any of it. Maybe, maybe if you worked hard and found a way, maybe then you could save at least some of them, maybe- 

“Hey! Look over there!”

“What is it, we were about to go already.”

“There’s some water leading up to this alleyway.”

“So? Maybe someone decided to take a piss, no-”

“The brat fell into the fountain, remember!”

Your blood ran cold and you registered the fact that _you wouldn’t be able to do anything, not if you were captured right here, right now_. You couldn’t let them see you, you couldn’t. It was more than just about you now, you had to be able to help in some way, you had to try to save as many as you could so you just couldn’t get caught. You knew there was no way they wouldn’t see you but still, _still_ , all you wanted was to be given a chance to help those kids not die. You wouldn’t be able to live with yourself if you had known what was happening and did nothing to stop it. _No_ , you thought, _I’d rather_ die _than get caught now_. As the sounds of those men came closer and closer to the mouth of the alley, you closed your eyes in a rare display of childish thought. 

_If I can’t see them, they can’t see me._

As if the world heard your pleas, the world lit up and you were left with a flash of pale indigo searing through your eyelids.

**[Scavenger Hunt Complete- 8 Hours Til Deadline]**

Recently showered, well rested and well fed, you opened up the plastic package you fished out of the fountain. _“Congrats on making it this far!_ ” it read, complete with an exaggerated winking face. “ _Since I’m such a good brother_ ,” your eye may or may not have twitched as you saw that, _“I actually prepared three presents for you! The first was the scavenger hunt, the second is enclosed in the envelope and the third is a surprise! Come home when you find this, bye-bye!_ ” 

Even without being there your brother found a way to get on your nerves. Rolling your eyes in part annoyance and part resignation, you opened up the envelope. Out fell yet another piece of paper, though this one shorter than the last. Once you read it, a smile grew on your face. Maybe, just maybe you can forgive brother for his dumb game. Pocketing the plane ticket, you stood from the bench and walked off. Brother had told you to come home but you had time before you reached the deadline. There was someone you wanted to talk to first. 

**[4 Hours Til Deadline]**

“Hey… do you want to maybe, I don’t know, come with me for a bit? You can say no, but-”

“It’s about time. I knew you couldn’t stay away.”

**[1 Hour Til Deadline]**

“Brother, I’m home!” You called as you walked into the apartment, kicking off your shoes as you did so. 

“Welcome home, I was wondering when you would come. I almost thought you failed!” Your brother peered at you from the kitchen, giving you a once over before turning towards your guest and gesturing towards him with a knife. “Who’s this?” he asked. 

You were kind of hoping you didn’t have to explain but it would have been weirder if your brother didn’t point it out. Didn’t mean you had to like it though. 

“This is Fran. He’s gonna help me with my uh…”

“Magic.”

“Magic?”

“Yeah, my magic.”

Brother looked put off for a second but recovered quickly, shrugging before going back to the kitchen. That meeting went better than you hoped, you were glad both kept the talking to a bare minimum. Who knows what would have happened if they were to engage in a full blown conversation. Nothing but trouble, for you that is. They’ll probably feed into each other's worst traits. Oh, the horror. For as long as Fran stays you have to keep them apart as far as possible. 

“Hey Fran, let me show you to your room.” You turned around where you had left him in the doorway, only to find empty space. “...Fran?”

“What type of fairy are you?”

“How fun! What type of fairy do you want me to be?”

Oh no. You were too late. 

**[Deadline Reached]**

As the clock reached 12:00, you could only watch in abject horror as the two conversed amongst themselves. 

_Happy Birthday to me, I guess._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fran? in MY khr post canon ff? it's more likely than you think. Honestly though he wasn't even part of the charas reader was gonna meet. but y'know me by now, these characters just write themselves in, those whores. he's like, nine or something in present time in canon but I'm ignoring in favor for my ✨vision✨ (non-existent but shhh) he's now the same age as mc which is coincidentally the same age as mukuro... hint hint. alt title: mc picks up strays pt.1. Don't make a habit out of it! I say as I make it habit. homegirl got flames! training montage coming aha n e ways, thanks for reading! <3


	7. shady's back! ft. friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Improvise. Adapt. Overcome. Let's hope it's as easy as it sounds.

**[Forest, ???]**

Pain. The only true constant in your life, from the moment you were born (not that you remember) to this very second. Ever since you brought Fran over to help with your “magic” (he insisted on calling it that,) you’ve experienced nothing but pain. Mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, you name it, all of it:  _ pain _ . 

It was obvious that Fran, despite being extremely proficient in his use of flames, sucked at teaching. He was  _ too smart  _ to dumb it down for you. To him, it came as easy as breathing and that’s why he couldn’t explain how it worked. So instead, he showed you. 

For the first hour of your “training”, Fran would light fires, make hats, and something out of nothing. You just sat and watched hoping that if you witnessed it long enough, you’d get it. You held out for quite some time before you got fed up and slapped the hat right off Fran’s head. Or at least, you tried. Somehow you kept forgetting that the apple was an illusion, though sometimes you could swear it felt solid… 

Point is, you and Fran got absolutely nowhere that day. Brother was observing nearby, a smirk on his face that clearly read  _ ‘I know something you don’t’ _ . You were willing to bet your left kidney that he knew everything about the flames, including how to get them to work. He was just being mean about it, like always. 

“Nothing in life is free,” he said when you called him out for being unfair. He was always saying that, but it was usually followed up by something illegal advice so when he didn’t say anything of the sort it tipped you off. Brother never did things without a purpose, despite how spontaneous it would seem. 

Going through a mental list of phrases that he would use to complete the saying, you chose to go with the top three in hopes of getting somewhere. 

Number one! Nothing in life is free so… that’s why we have bribes! Ditching Fran at the hidden training grounds, you went off to find a suitable bribe. It didn’t work.

Yeah, brother accepted the bribe but he didn’t honor the agreement, choosing to instead withhold the information.  _ Snake. _ With bribes being out of the question, you turned to number two! Nothing in life is free but… kidnapping is! Enlisting the help of Fran (“we’re gonna prank big bro.” “oh? okay.”) you concocted a foolproof plan to get the information you needed. One midday (night was too cliche, you both decided,) you entered brother’s office, knocked him out, and dragged him to the storage closet where you tied him up. It was suspiciously easy but you were getting impatient so you ignored the fact. 

While waiting for brother to wake, Fran taught you card games. In the midst of playing Blackjack, your victim woke. (Thank goodness for that, your pride couldn’t take another loss.) You pounced, interrogating your brother while Fran threatened to burn all his coats. Despite being under threat, brother showed no signs of breaking, so you conceded, letting him walk free. It was time to move onto the final phrase, number three. 

Nothing in life is free… but burning it would make it so.  _ Arson?  _ It’s not like you were against arson but you’d rather not burn down the apartment and go back to the streets. You decided to skip advice no. three, onto four. Nothing in life is free… so take advantage of the BOGO sales. Skip. Maybe number five would help? Nothing in life is free… don’t fall for capitalist schemes? Nothing in life is free but price tags are just suggestions… being broke makes it be, hope you’re born into a pretty girl your next life, a knife to the throat lets you get away with things… 

Going through the list made you realize how unhinged brother was. It wasn’t until advice number 26 where you found something good. It made you feel so stupid when you realized it. Now you know why brother didn’t honor the bribe and why he refused to talk during the “interrogation”.  _ We’re informants, we make a living off of being sneaky and convoluted, not straightforward. Gotta do this the same way I would a job.  _

With that revelation in mind, you went off to concoct a plan, mission impossible style. Showing brother a coupon at his favorite seafood place, you waited until he took the bait  _ (ahaha) _ and walked into his bedroom to search his super-duper high security laptop. (The password was sushi but in Russian). When Fran alerted you that brother was almost back home, you had only found a brief description of the flames.  _ It’s better than nothing _ you thought as you moved everything to how it should be, no signs of breaking and entering to be found. 

The next day, you told your findings to Fran.  _ ‘High density life-force that resonates with one’s emotions.’ _

On the plus side, Fran had figured out a way to get you to produce your flames. Unfortunately for you, that meant being put in numerous high-risk situations. Hence, the never-ending pain. 

It’s been three weeks since the scavenger hunt, two since you and Fran started making actual progress and 30 minutes since brother decided to take part in your training. “You can play with your flames another day.” He had said. “Now you have to learn how to not die.” 

Apparently it seemed that brother dearest equated “not dying” with “learning how to use a knife.” You guess he wasn’t  _ entirely _ wrong, a knife can keep people away but….

_ At this rate, I’m going to end up dying  _ because _ of this knife.  _ Still, you persevered. It wouldn’t hurt to know more ways to survive. Plus, brother looked cool wielding the knife (the only time he ever did look cool.) Fran on the other hand opted out of knife practice in favor of mocking you from the sidelines. You didn’t hesitate to throw some knives at his head, which got stuck in his hat.

In summary, you learned how to (somewhat) control your flames, now able to call them at will but still struggling to form concrete illusions. You also got a review in the basics of some martial arts and learned the new skill: knife! All in all, “it was a very successful training montage” Fran said. 

**[Airplane, First-Class, 5:13 A.M]**

The envelope you almost died for during your scavenger hunt contained a ticket to Japan, city unknown. After your sudden training break, you decided to cash in on it. The plan was to go alone but you couldn’t leave Fran alone (“he’s your stray” brother said when you tried to leave him behind.) You also didn’t want to spend money on another ticket though, which is how you came up with the great idea of Fran using illusions to slip by. 

Brother happened to overhear and decided he wanted to come along as well, saying that he had wanted to show you around somewhere for “educational purposes.” Trying to argue against him would be a losing battle so you agreed so long as they both planned to behave. So far- 

“That snake looks like you.” 

“Oh really? Why, thank you. That rat looks like  _ you _ .” 

“I changed my mind. You would be the fat lizard, stealing everyone’s water.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, you’re both ugly.” 

_ Please shut up why are you guys so loud you’re gonna get us caught.  _ You were seated in first class courtesy of Fran. You had tried to sleep but the two  _ children _ were being so loud over the movie they were watching.  _ Honestly, what movie could possibly be worth blowing our cove- _

“Rango? Of all the free movies you could have chosen, you picked Rango?”  _ They’re not even saying the right animals! Please spiritual entity, end me now. _

Fran simply looked up, saying, “It had a chameleon.” Like that was all the justification he needed. (It was.) Sighing, you turned your back on them before knocking out. 

**[Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan; 4:19 PM]**

The next time you woke up, you were being carried by your brother on the streets of an unfamiliar city. 

“Good morning~ How are you feeling?” Brother turned his head slightly to look at you, dodging the crowds of people with ease. 

“Hungry. Where’s Fran?” 

You looked around to see if you could spot the familiar hat but it was nowhere to be found. You looked at your brother accusingly. 

“You lost Fran.” you said.

“Good riddance,” he replied.

“I’m right here.” Fran interjected. 

You and your brother turned to one another, then back at the person who spoke. He looked like Fran, he spoke like Fran, he even had the clothes you gave to Fran but he was very obviously not Fran. Why? That’s because- 

“No hat.” The two of you choursed. “Fran always has a hat,” you explained gently to the Fran impostor, leaning down from where you were situated on the back of your brother. Patting the impostor’s head, you offered some tips. “Next time you want to be Fran, you should wear a hat.” And with that last piece of advice, your brother continued on his merry way to… wherever it was he was going. He made it two blocks before you leaned down to whisper. 

“Psst. The Fran is following us.” 

“I know.” Brother whispered back, amused. “I’ll lose him real quick.” 

“I can hear you guys,” Not-Fran spoke. 

You ignored him. You were beginning to feel uncomfortable being carried. 

“You can put me down now.” 

Your brother moved to do just that until a vending machine landed right in front of his face. You thought it was just a construction mishap, until a stop sign flew next. Then a car. By then, you already jumped off brother's back and distanced yourself. You were no travel expert but you were almost certain that this was not a regular occurrence.  _ Japan didn’t change the way they greeted people since the last time I came, did they?  _ You heard a distant shout of your brother’s name, followed by several curses.  _ Ah.  _ You understood now. 

This was  _ not _ a new Japan thing, it was a brother-exclusive greeting. You eyed the grin on his face, the one that just reeked of anticipation and nodded to yourself. This must be why he wanted to come here, you thought. He was lonely without his playmate. As if reading your mind, brother spoke up. 

“I have a couple of friends I need to say hi to. Fran, take her and go to the place I told you about. I’ll be there soon.” And with that he bounded off, eager for a fight. You felt a hand grab your arm, causing you to turn swiftly, knife poised at the offending person's throat. When you noticed the familiar hat, you dropped your arm and tucked your knife back in your sleeve. 

“Fran! Where have you been all this time?” 

Rolling his eyes, he dragged you off to who knows where. No really, who knows. You didn’t and Fran surely didn’t. How could you blame him, he was a mere country boy up until a month ago. You can’t expect him to flawlessly navigate cities by now. You were lost. Once again you found yourself in an unknown place in Japan, this time with a friend. So what do you do when you’re lost in Japan? The only thing you know how to. Go to your childhood, first friend, Tsu-kun’s place! With a destination in mind, you were off to find a train, dragging Fran behind you. Though, not before getting some food for the journey. 

**[A Rail Line, Japan, 6:26 P.M]**

“Hey Fran?” 

“Hm?” 

“Do you know where this train is going?”

“No, I can’t read japanese.” 

_ Oh snap, I was hoping he could because I sure can’t. _

“... hey Fran?”

“Hm?”

“I don’t think this is our train.”

**[Namimori, 8:06 P.M]**

After getting off the wrong train you and Fran managed to get on the correct one with the help of a nice Chinese-food vendor. Apparently, the city your Brother had ditched you guys in was only two-hours away from Namimori, meaning that your little train mishap doubled your travel time. Well, you weren’t complaining much, an adventure with a friend is more fun than an adventure alone!  _ Thanks to Fran, we didn’t have to pay for tickets.  _

You now found yourself in familiar territory, the shopping district. It’s been nearly two years since you were last here but nothing seemed to have changed. That made it easier for you, it meant that you could get to Nana’s house with ease. From behind you, a stomach growled. 

“Be quiet Fran, people are trying to sleep.”

Walking towards the direction of your once-hosts, you allowed your mind to wander. Namimori was safe, it was fine to let down your guard the slightest bit.  _ I wonder if Tsu-kun and Nana got my Christmas cards last year. And the year before that. I would have gotten them a present but the shipping costs during Christmas is insane.  _ At least you managed to send Tsu a present for his birthday last year. A stuffed lion, with hair that looked just like his. 

As you entered the neighborhood, you decided to lay some ground rules for Fran. Turning to face him, you found nothing. Nada. Zilch. He was gone.

_ Oh no, I lost Fran.  _

Before you laid two options. One, go back and look for him, postponing your reunion with two of your favorite people and staying hungry. Or option two, leave Fran alone and hungry, stuck in an unfamiliar country with no money and no knowledge of the written language while you were safe, in a comfortable, familiar place being fed. 

_ If I could do it, he can too.  _ Option two it is then. Shrugging, you continued on your merry way towards the promise of food, salivating like one of Pavlov’s dogs. Dogs…. 

_ He’s  _ your _ stray.’  _ you remembered your brother telling you. Your conscience was morally gray, having grown up the way you did but if there was one thing it felt strongly about, it was dogs. Fran  _ was _ your responsibility, being moved to another country on your whim. Guess you’re going to go look for him. 

_ If I were a Fran, where would I go? _ That was probably the single most hardest question to answer in your life. Well, the second hardest. He was such a no thoughts head empty kind of kid, his brain seems to work on another dimension. Quick, you thought, what would Fran do if he was hungry? 

Well, he hasn’t yet been exposed to much crime yet and he was raised near a forest so-  _ the mountain. _ He was probably off foraging, eating random mushrooms to quell his hunger. You’ve never been to the mountain the last time you were here so you weren’t sure how to navigate it but at least you knew where it was. It was kind of hard to miss, afterall. 

On your way to the mountain, you had just passed the bottom of a set of stairs when you saw it. A faint indigo color, flickering from above. There was only one person you knew of that could do such a thing, the very one you were looking for. At least now you didn’t have to search an entire mountain. Climbing the steps with some difficulty (it was dark and your flames kept going out. You needed more practice.) you found Fran to the side of a shrine. He was digging in some bushes, flames dancing on his fingers as he used them as a light source. 

Calling his name, you walked up to him, intent on dragging him away. When you got close enough, you reached out to grab his collar but your hand went through.  _ An illusion. _ Usually, you had the patience of a saint (kind of had to, stakeouts could take so long) but you were getting antsy. So close yet so far from seeing your first friend and his mother, you were about to go feral. 

Having had his fun, Fran appeared from right beside you. 

“I’m sleepy,” he said. Just as you were about to speak, a loud  _ thud _ sounded from beside you, the source being a knocked out Fran. Wasting no time in trying to wake him (it was impossible) you picked him up and left, practically jumping down the stairs in your haste to get away. The night sky made it difficult to see but you didn’t need your sight to know that there was someone watching you. 

From the trees gleamed a pair of gunmetal gray eyes. 

**[Sawada Residence, 8:49 PM]**

When Nana heard knocking at her front door, she thought nothing of it. She wasn’t expecting any visitors and even if she was, she had just put her little boy to sleep. She didn’t want anyone to wake him up, it took her so long to get him to bed because he had lost his favorite toy and refused to sleep until he found it. They never did, but Tsuna tired himself out with all the crying. 

So when she heard the sounds of the door unlocking, she was surprised. Her first thought was of her husband, coming to surprise her after two long years of not seeing each other. When she peeked out the kitchen (she was making herself some relaxing tea beforehand) she was in no way expecting two children to come in.

Well, it was more like one walked in while dragging another. The girl dragged the body away from the entrance, dropping it as she turned to close the door, Nana just watching it all happen. She thought the girl looked familiar but she had never seen the boy before.

“Hey Nana!” At the voice, Nana realized who it was. 

You stepped over Fran’s prone body to give the woman a proper greeting. Seeing as Nana kept glancing at Fran, you picked him and tossed him to the couch (though not without taking off both yours and his shoes. Good guest etiquette!) 

Nana, bless her heart, had walked back in the kitchen, asking “are you hungry?” despite already taking out leftovers from the fridge to reheat. While you waited for the food to warm up, you and Nana sat at the table, her filling you in on what you missed over the years. 

“You remember the lion you bought Tsuna for his birthday? He lost it and he’s devastated.” 

“Oh? I’ll just get him another one then.” 

When the food was sufficiently heated up, Nana plated two portions. 

“For your friend,” she said, gesturing to where Fran laid sprawled on the couch. You personally didn’t think Fran deserved to be fed but unable to argue against Nana, you grabbed a plate and went to Fran. If there was one way to maybe wake him up, it was food. One out of three times it would work, and since he hasn’t eaten actual food in roughly five hours then… 

“Fran, wake up before I eat your food.” 

He woke up, languidly staring at the plate in your hands, slowly sitting up. Before he could grab his food, you walked back to the table, motioning him to follow. When everyone was seated, you took the opportunity to introduce them. 

“Nana, this is Fran, I picked him up in a forest. Fran, this is Nana, I met her when stalking her husband.” Glancing between the two for their reactions, you were pleased to see that they got along. Now, time to eat. 

After forcing Fran to help you wash dishes, you finally told Nana what you were doing here. “I got lost in Japan again so I came here. Brother is only two hours away though so we’re good!” Nana being, well, Nana just smiled and nodded, saying that the two of you could stay as long as you wanted while showing you to the guest room. 

Once you got yourselves situated and Nana went to her room, you pull out your phone to call brother. He most likely already knew where you guys were but better safe than sorry. That, and you needed to see how long you could stay. 

“Hello? I’m kind of busy at the moment-” a series of crashes followed brothers words, the sounds of someone yelling and your brothers maniacal laughter is all you heard before the line went dead. Exchanging looks with Fran, you shrugged. Oh well, at least you tried. Nap time. 

You woke up to the feeling of someone hovering over you. Reaching out, you grabbed the person and yanked, pinning them to the bed, the knife you had under your pillow to their throat. Brown ( _ brown? where’s the orange there was orange what happened-)  _ eyes stared up at you. They blinked. You did too.

Your brain was lagging it seemed, but once you realize who it was, you got off the bed, pulling them along with you. 

“Tsuna.” you greeted, nodding towards him. 

Said boy cheered, chanting your name like a mantra as he lunged forward to tackle you into a hug.  _ He’s cold,  _ you thought, awkwardly moving to reciprocate.  _ He used to be warm. _ You were unused to physical affection. The most brother did was pat your head and Fran just used you as a pillow on rare occasions. The closest you would get to hugs would be during training, as you grappled for the upperhand.

Well, there was one person who used to give you hugs but she was dead. Moving on!

Tsuna finally let go of you, only to grab your hand and drag you downstairs, talking your ear off all the while. 

“Tsu-kun- ah,  _ I _ missed you! I kept climbing trees like you told me too! I didn’t have anyone to play with but that’s okay because I had the lion you sent me! Ah, but I lost it…” You looked at Tsuna, wondering why he suddenly went quiet. He was on the verge of tears, lips quivering, eyes watering, the whole package. You were on the verge of panicking, you were out of practice when it came to calming down crying kids. 

Luckily for you, Tsuna got himself together. “Sorry! I’ve been trying to stop myself from crying too much, since you told me that crying was for losers.” 

_ What? No, _ you didn’t think crying was for losers, crying is a perfectly healthy response, if anything  _ you _ think you should cry more. You didn't want Tsuna to grow up thinking it was bad to cry, that’s toxic. You had to fix this!

“It’s good to cry,” you paused at the end of the stairs, hands firmly holding Tsuna by the shoulders as you turned him to face you. Looking into his eyes (he was half a head shorter so you had to look down), you continued. “If you feel like crying, cry. Let it all out. Repression will only serve to cripple you, keeping you from truly enjoying life. True joy can only be achieved if you have let yourself experience true sorrow.-”

“Uhm, it was just a toy-”

“No, let me finish. Your problems are valid, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem in the eyes of others. You are allowed to feel and don’t let anyone, not even me, tell you otherwise. So what if you’re a crybaby? That just means you  _ feel _ on another level than others. Now, repeat after me. It is good and healthy to cry.” You stared at Tsuna, silently urging him to do as you asked. He blinked up at you, before hesitantly doing so. 

“It’s, it’s good and healthy to cry?” 

“Again. It’s a fact not a question.” You needed to drill this in his head from early on so it would stick. Tsuna looked unsure, until he found his resolve and his face set in determination. 

“It is good and healthy to cry!” 

“That’s the spirit. Come, let’s help your mother cook.” Satisfied, you released him from your hold, making your way to the kitchen, Tsuna following close behind. Turns out Fran had beat you to it, wearing a pink polka-dot apron as he beat some eggs. 

“You know how to cook?” you asked, surprised to see him being productive. 

Fran looked up from the bowl, sparing you a brief glance before he looked down again. “No,” came his short reply. “I’m learning.” 

Well, that explained why he never helped you cook back home. Still, he could have learned earlier. It must be because Nana herself offered, no one can resist her sparkling aura, not even Fran. With that mystery solved, you moved towards the sink, rolling up your sleeves to wash your hands. 

“What’s for breakfast?”

After breakfast, Nana excused herself to go shopping. When you had offered to go with her, she turned you down, her reason being to let Fran and Tsuna get to know one another better. So you guys went up to Tsuna’s room, where Fran was quietly sitting on the floor staring off into the distance and Tsuna was under his blankets, peeking out, taking quick glances at Fran. 

The vibes were stifling, one boy was seemingly uninterested in making friends while the other was way too shy to strike up a conversation. This attitude came as a surprise to you. From what you had remembered, Tsuna was energetic and friendly, only shy around adults but surely not kids his age. Heck,  _ he _ dragged  _ you _ to his house minutes after you met! But now… now he looked like one wrong move would cost him his life. 

_ Come to think of it, Tsuna’s been acting differently. He hasn’t talked about school or complained about homework, he said he didn’t have anyone to play with and now he’s hiding from Fran….  _ The more you thought about it, the more you realized that something had changed since you’ve been gone. Could it be?

“Hey Tsuna?” your voice cut through the oppressive silence, startling Tsuna from where he sat on the bed.  _ He’s awfully jumpy  _ you observed, further cementing your theory. At first you thought you were just looking too deeply into things but you should know by now to trust your gut. And at this moment your gut was telling you that-

“I’ve never met someone who was bullied before.” Those words came from Fran, unsurprisingly. It seems like he caught on too but  _ really Fran? _ Did you have to phrase it like that? You were sure that was a lie, Fran was probably the one bullying the poor kid. Oops, you got sidetracked. Getting up from your seat on the floor, you moved to sit beside Tsuna on his bed. His shocked, guilty reaction was enough for you to confirm that yes, he was being bullied but you wanted to hear it from the source himself. 

“The other kids are being mean to you at school, right?” 

Tsuna flinched, and you placed a hand on his head in an attempt to reassure him. Gathering all the courage he could in his little seven-year old body, Tsuna nodded his head. There were two ways to go about reacting with this information. One, you could take a list of names and deal with it personally or two, you could teach Tsuna how to handle it.

You knew you couldn’t always be there with Tsuna, but the amount of time it would take for him to learn how to deal with it would be too much. You were at a crossroads here. That is, until Fran spoke up. 

“You want to go beat them up with us?” 

“That’s it!” 

Fran looked at you in surprise (his face was hard to read but that millimeter widening of his eyes gave him away) He wasn’t expecting you to agree with him. Proficient in the art of reading unreadable people, you explained what you meant before he could get any ideas. 

“We’ll beat them up to get them to leave you alone but we’ll also teach you how to defend yourself for later.” 

“We?” Fran didn’t look happy about being roped into self-defense classes but it’s not like you were expecting him to do much. It was an unconscious slip of the tongue, since in your head, you and Fran were a team. 

While you were busy thinking of ways to make kids back off, Tsuna tugged at your sleeve. Turning your attention to him, you waited for him to speak. 

“Beat up? Mama said violence was bad. I don’t wanna beat them up.” His eyes were wide, his lips set into a pout. “You can’t beat them up.” he ordered. 

You didn’t want to worry him so you agreed, asking him if he wanted to go to the park to play. He readily agreed, rushing out the door and down the stairs. Once he was out of earshot, you turned to Fran, who was already looking at you. 

“Are we going to beat up little kids?” He asked, making a grabby motion from where he sat on the floor. Rolling your eyes, you pulled him up.

“We’re not gonna beat them up. Just, scare them a little. You’re gonna help me, right?” 

From downstairs, Tsuna called for you guys to hurry up. 

“Coming.” you said loud enough for him to hear, waiting for Fran’s answer. “So?” 

He pretended to think about it before acquiescing. “Sure. Not like I have anything better to do.”

As you made your way down the stairs to an awaiting Tsuna, you couldn’t help the small grin from forming. 

_ I always wanted to beat up bullies.  _

**[Namimori Park, 11:02 AM]**

For the last couple of hours you’ve been playing with Tsuna at the park. Tsuna was slowly starting to warm up to Fran and Fran… was the same as always, though a little less mean to Tsuna. When you commented on his special treatment, Fran compared Tsuna to a small, defenseless puppy and well, you couldn’t argue with that logic. It was break time, the three of you moving to sit underneath the trees for shade. Fran and Tsuna were currently in the midst of an argument on what was better: fairies or robots?

“Robots are big! And cool! And strong! And manly!”  _ Manly? _

“Fairies are cooler. They have magic that can destroy your robot.” 

“Oh yeah? Well um, robots could… they could step on your fairy!”“The fairy could use magic to escape.” 

_ He’s got you there Tsuna.  _ You were simply lying back and enjoying the show. It’s not everyday you heard a debate like this. 

“Well, magic isn’t real! Robots are so I win.” Tsuna crossed his arms, looking proud of himself. He was so sure that he was right, celebrating his victory when Fran did what he did best confused him. 

“Magic is real. I have it and she.” he gestured towards where you sat, “can use magic too.” 

Tsuna looked back and forth between you two before settling his gaze on you, the question in his eyes obvious. It seems like it was time to contribute to the conversation. Instead of saying anything, you willed your flames to appear, struggling the slightest bit. When they showed, you looked to Fran, and he too brought his flame forth. 

At the sight of flames sprouting from nowhere, Tsuna cowered away. It was common sense to stay away from fire so of course he would be wary. But at the same time, it wasn’t everyday someone could make fire appear without a match. You were about to apologize for scaring him when, like a man possessed, Tsuna shot forward to take a closer look. 

“They’re the same color.” He mused aloud. Taking the time to observe Fran’s flame and compare it to yours, Tsuna crawled back to where he originally sat. “Do you think I can use magic too?” 

Without even thinking about it, you answered. “Of course. You did it before, remember?” 

Tsuna looked at you questioningly while Fran entertained himself by giving you matching hats. 

“When that old man came over, there was a flame on your head.” You hoped giving more detail would help him remember but he still looked lost. Thinking back to that time, you looked for what activated Tsuna’s flames.  _ The old man fired up first.. Oh _ .    
Bringing your finger up to Tsuna’s forehead, you focused on lighting a flame.  _ C’mon Tsuna’s flames… activate! _ A spark of yellow appeared from your pinky before dying out.  _ What the- _ When you were distracted, your indigo flame appeared and Tsuna stayed still for all of five seconds before scooting back. 

“It hurts…” he whined, hand coming up to hold the place your flame once was. 

A his cry you forgot all about the yellow spark, choosing to focus on your younger friend. “Sorry, did I burn you?” You moved his hand away from his head to assess any potential damage but there was nothing. 

“No, my head hurts.” 

Well, there was no burn but… placing your hand on Tsuna’s forehead, you felt him steadily get warmer.  _ Dammit Tsuna,  _ you thought, already on your feet while telling Fran to help get Tsuna on your back.  _ Why do you always get sick when it comes to flames? _

“Is he dead?” Fran asked from where he was walking beside you. “Guess you got to wait to teach him.”

You were planning to teach him the next day but if his fever doesn’t break by then… you’ll have to postpone.

“Look on the plus side.” You turned to Fran, brow raised as if to ask what possible good can come from Tsuna being sick. “Now he won’t ask where we’re going tonight.” 

You almost forgot about that. Fran had a point, for once. Now Tsuna won’t find out about you terrorizing his bullies. 

**[Three Weeks Later, Namimori]**

Tsuna was sprawled out on the ground, trying to catch his breath. You were standing over him, Fran seated on the porch sipping on a juice box. For the past couple of days, you and Fran would take turns teaching Tsuna the skills needed to defend himself. You and Fran also got in additional training so he wasn’t the only one benefitting. It worked a little something like this. 

After getting permission from Nana to teach her son how to fight (“It’ll be good for him, he’s small for his age so I worry.”) you made a short training schedule. Then promptly trashed it when you realized that Tsuna still had to go to school. That wasn’t enough to stop you though. 

When Tsuna was at school, you and Fran would surprise him with illusions. You told him it was to “sharpen his instincts” but really, both of you just wanted to mess with him. It was working though! Tsuna’s awareness of his surroundings were getting better, as evidenced when he dodged the spiders (only to come face to face with the snakes, but it was progress.) Not only that, but with how many times Tsuna found himself running from a scarily-realistic illusion, he now was one of the fastest kids in second grade. 

Afterschool, you would try to help him in his academics but it turns out that your homeschooling didn't cover whatever it was Tsuna was learning, and Fran learned what you did. You still taught Tsuna what you knew though, because all information is good information. When you guys weren’t doing school-work, you would engage in some good ‘ol family bonding time. 

(“Tsuna, take good care of your Ma, because you don’t know when she’s gonna leave.” you told Tsuna one Sunday in the comfort of the living room, Fran sprawled somewhere nearby. Nana was in the kitchen alone, a rare occasion these days. Tsuna blinked his big, brown eyes at you, tilting his head. 

“Where is Mama going?” 

“Nowhere, I meant. She’s not going to be here forever y’know?” 

Tsuna did not know. “Where else would she be?” he asked. 

As you were mulling over how to explain it to him, Fran interjected rather unhelpfully. 

“She’s saying that your mom’s going to die one day.” 

_ Fran no.  _ Tsuna went quiet before he started bawling. 

“Mama’s gonna die!?” 

It took forever to calm him down, you didn’t even have the energy to fight Fran at the end of it.)

When Tsuna didn’t have school, you took it upon yourself to further his tree-climbing education. Except now, he wouldn’t be restricted to mere trees. No, Tsuna will learn the wonderful art of parkour, or die trying. (You made him wear knee-pads, elbow-pads, a helmet, shin guards, and made sure every inch of exposed skin was covered before you even  _ thought _ about teaching him. He will not be dying on your watch.) Tsuna was only allowed to practice if you were there observing him. You thought about teaching him how to fight but decided against it, all he needed to know for now evasion tactics. Maybe when he was older… 

Tsuna still wanted to learn how to use his flames but after getting him sick last time you were reluctant in trying again. Fran chose that time to make sense. “Wouldn’t more exposure build up a better resistance.” A statement, not a question. Trusting Fran (a horrible decision, really) you looked into ways to unlock Tsuna’s flames. Meanwhile, all you could do was sit him down as you explained the flames more in depth while Fran played with his flames, dressing Tsuna up in various fruit-themed outfits. 

That’s how you spent your days in Namimori, teaching Tsuna, strengthening bonds and playing with Fran. You guys even went to the beach! But that’s a story for another day. At the end of the third week of being there, your brother made his first appearance in a long time.

**[TakeSushi, Namimori, 3:18 PM]**

You and Fran were seated side by side at the counter, eating sushi peacefully until he came in. Taking the seat beside you, he snatched a piece of fatty tuna off your plate faster than you could react. Frowning slightly, you dragged your plate closer to your body before turning to face your brother. 

“Vacation’s over. I’ve been dealing with the request that came in remotely but we have to go back for this one.” 

You were shocked for a brief second, not from the news but from the fact that your brother chose to tell you right then and there. Sure the restaurant was empty of customers beside the three of you but the chef was right behind the very counter you were seated. He would be able to hear everything. Perceptive as always, brother dismissed your concerns with a wave of his hand. 

“He used to be a part of our world. It's fine. More importantly, the job. We’ve been asked to aid the CEDEF investigate a matter concerning some bosses with deep ties to the Vongola. Apparently their houses were fired into, they didn’t tell me if anyone died but I’m assuming some did.” 

He paused when, from his peripherals, he saw you raise your hand. When you saw that he noticed, you swallowed the food in your mouth to ask a question. 

“The Vongola are really private. Why would they reach out to a couple of shady informants?” 

“First of all, we’re not shady, we come highly recommended. Second, the current boss suspects foul play. He wants an outside perspective that isn’t tangled up in any inter-family dispute. Because of this-” 

Here he paused, waiting for you to understand where he was going with this. You chewed in thought, trying to connect the dots. Fran was faster. 

“The old man wants us to investigate without the outside guys knowing, right?” 

“Good boy!” Brother cheered, jumping off the stool while reaching to snatch another roll off your plate. “I’ll give you 30 minutes to meet me at the train station. Thanks for the food.” With that, he left. 

Taking inspiration from brother’s dramatic exit, Fran hopped off his seat and walked out the door. “Well, time to go. Thanks for paying.” 

_ Damnit Fran..!  _ The chef was looking down, sharpening his knives but you could tell he was looking to make sure you would pay up.  _ Well, there’s no escape now.  _ Might as well eat more if you were stuck paying. 

_ Shit,  _ you thought, running through the streets of Namimori. You took more time than you thought you would, you only had 15 minutes to say goodbye.  _ At the least the sushi chef guy gave me a discount. _ He must have felt bad after seeing how your companions left you. What a good man. 

You made it to Tsuna’s house with eleven minutes left on the clock. Running inside, you found Tsuna and Nana in the living room. 

You didn’t have time to explain but it seems Fran already did before he left, because Nana simply told you to come visit while Tsuna tackled you in a hug.  _ Oh? He’s not that cold anymore.  _

“Bye-bye! I’ll make sure I keep practicing what you taught me. Mama was thinking of enrolling me in a dojo!” That was news to you. When you looked at her, Nana explained. 

“Well, I knew you would be leaving soon but Tsu-kun still needs a teacher so I thought it was a good idea!”

Well, that took care of self-defense. Nana handed you a bag of your belongings and with that, you ran out.  _ 7 minutes!  _ The train station was five minutes away, you’ll be making it in the nick of time. Halfway through, when you were taking a shortcut through the park, you were stopped. 

A boy, with tousled black hair and harsh gray eyes, had grabbed you by the arm when you were passing by. In order not to lose momentum, you jogged in place, waiting for an explanation as to why he decided to stop you. The boy just stared down at you, pensive. After a short period of silence, you decided you didn’t have time to waste. 

“I have somewhere to be so if you can please let go-” 

“You.”  _ Oh so he decides to talk when  _ I’m _ talking, rude. Did he really just interrupt me to say ‘you’? _

“Me.” You waited to see if he would say anything else but he didn’t.  _ Alright, it’s time to bounce. _ You moved to continue running but the grip on your arm tightened, preventing you from leaving. Annoyed, you looked up at the boy, brow raised. 

The slight furrow of his brow showed you that he was struggling to find the words he wanted to convey. Sighing, all annoyance you felt melted away. You were a successful info broker damnit! A street kid hardened by reality and bloodshed! There was no room to be soft and caring. You blamed Tsuna for these feelings. 

“Hey, man, are you okay? Are you lost or somethin’? I can’t help you but maybe-” You were trying to be nice but he interrupted you for the second time that minute. 

“Light up.” 

… 

He stared at you expectantly but you were at a loss.  _ Light up? What does he mean!? You know what, I don’t have time.  _

“Sorry but I gotta go.” You tried pulling away from him but his grip was ironclad and it didn’t seem like he was willing to compromise. So, left with no other choice, you grabbed his arm and…  _ bit him. _

That seemed to have done the job because he let go in his shock and you took that opportunity to run away. 

You made it to the station right as the train was pulling up.  _ Safe! _ Getting on, you collapsed on the seat beside Fran, drained from the encounter with the strange older boy. 

“What took you so long?” Fran asked, plopping his head on your shoulder so he could sleep. You knew he was asked without planning to listen but you told him anyway. 

“I think I almost got kidnapped.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im so tired and so sorry for the long wait aaaaaa pls forgive me here's chap, thank for waiting ! mc pulled a gokudera and got greedy with flames. as always no proofread, enjoy any typos and thanks for reading! <3


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